"Immigrants are literally the backbone of the USA" - Serena Williams' former coach Rennae Stubbs on Naomi Girma's journey to FIFA Women's World Cup
Serena Williams' former coach Rennae Stubbs believes that immigrants are the backbone of the United States. This conviction of hers has been reinforced by Naomi Girma, a Ethiopian-born United States Women's National Team (USWNT) player, who has secured a spot in the team for the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup.
Girma, the daughter of Ethiopian immigrants, has emerged as one of the most exceptional female soccer players in the country. She was the top pick in the 2022 NWSL Draft, where she joined the San Diego Wave. In her first professional season, Girma's outstanding performance earned her the NWSL Rookie of the Year and Defender of the Year awards.
Naomi Girma's mother came to America for school, while her father fled Ethiopia in the midst of a civil war. As a first-generation American in her family, Naomi had to overcome numerous obstacles, including language barriers and racism, to achieve her current success.
In light of Girma's success story, Rennae Stubbs took to social media to write that if anyone was worried about immigrants taking over America, they should take the time to understand their stories. She emphasized that immigrants are the very foundation upon which the United States stands.
"For those of you so worried about immigrants, these are their stories and they should be told! They’re literally the backbone of the USA," Stubbs tweeted.
For those of you so worried about immigrants, these are their stories and they should be told! They’re literally the backbone of the USA. twitter.com/fos/status/168…
"We will never know" - Rennae Stubbs on potentially guiding Serena Williams to 24-25 Grand Slam titles with earlier involvement
Rennae Stubbs recently commented on the potential impact she could have had on Serena Williams' Grand Slam title count had they teamed up earlier in their careers.
Stubbs joined the Williams team in August 2022, just in time for the US Open. The American Major served as the grand finale for the illustrious career of the 23-time Grand Slam champion. It was her last attempt to match Margaret Court's all-time record of 24 Majors.
Serena Williams kicked off her campaign with a commanding straight-sets victory over Danka Kovinic. She then caused a major upset by defeating the then-World No. 2 Anett Kontaveit, making her the oldest woman to conquer a top-three player.
However, Williams's quest to extend her Grand Slam record came to an abrupt halt in the third round, where she lost to Ajla Tomljanovic.
During a Q&A session with fans on social media, Rennae Stubbs was asked if she could have potentially coached the former World No. 1 to 24-25 Grand Slam titles had she joined Williams' team earlier.
"If you'd joined Serena's team earlier, do you think you could have helped her to 24/25?" the fan asked.
"We will never know," Rennae Stubbs responded with a winking emoji.
@johndonaghy_ 🤷🏼♀️ we will never know. 😉