"Is there like 5 people watching this?" - Serena Williams' ex-coach questions low attendance in Naomi Osaka's Abu Dhabi 1R match
Serena Williams' former coach Rennae Stubbs expressed her surprise at the low attendance at Naomi Osaka's recent match against Danielle Collins on Tuesday (February 6).
Osaka was eliminated in the first round of the 2024 Abu Dhabi Open by the 30-year-old qualifier, losing 7-5, 6-0. The Japanese paid the price for not converting any of the six break points she had over the course of the encounter. This was Osaka's third loss in a row.
Renowned tennis journalist Jose Morgado took to X (formerly Twitter) later to post a photo that showed the two players shaking hands after the match. Stubbs took note of the empty seats in the background and made a sarcastic remark.
The 52-year-old Australian, who was part of Williams' coaching team at the 2022 US Open, replied to the journalist's post:
"Is there like 5 people watching this? WTH?"
It is worth nothing that the event debuted only in 2021.
Osaka, 26, took a break from the sport in September 2022, citing mental health concerns. She gave birth to her daughter Shai in July 2023, and returned to the courts for practice shortly after.
So far, however, Osaka has failed to recapture the form that saw her win a Grand Slam every year from 2018 to 2021. She didn't make a very good impression in her doubles match at the Abu Dhabi Open either. Osaka paired with Tunisia's Ons Jabeur but the star duo lost to Magda Linette and Bernarda Pera 6-3, 6-3 in the Round of 16.
Naomi Osaka has struggled in the 2024 season so far
Naomi Osaka's return to the sport got off to a brilliant start as she downed Germany's Tamara Korpatsch 6-3, 7-6(9) in the first round of the Brisbane International.
In the next round, however, Karolina Pliskova beat Osaka in three sets — a repeat of the result when the two met in the semi-finals of the competition back in 2020. The Japanese then exited in the first round of the Australian Open, courtesy a loss against 16th-seeded Caroline Garcia.
The poor run continued at the WTA 500 event in Abu Dhabi with the loss to Collins.
There have been calls for the four-time Major winner to play in lower-tier events to get some much-needed playing time under her belt. The former singles World No. 1 is currently ranked 757th on the tour.