Serena Williams' ex-coach Rennae Stubbs drops 1-word reaction to Daniil Medvedev's unexpected display of emotions at Indian Wells
Serena Williams' ex-coach Rennae Stubbs shared a one-word reaction to Daniil Medvedev's unusual celebration at the ongoing BNP Paribas Open. The incident occurred after the Russian had secured his win over young Frenchman Arthur Fils.
Medvedev and Fils were engaged in a nearly two-and-a-half-hour-long battle during their quarterfinal clash at Indian Wells. After splitting the first two sets, the deciding set went into a tiebreaker. After squandering two match points, Medvedev seized his moment on the third, making an excellent running shot, and Fils could not control the volley, sending it wide.
Medvedev, known for his usual calm demeanor on the court, burst into emotions as soon as the match ended. The Russian was jumping in joy with arms raised and reveling in his victory. However, he quickly collected himself and went to shake his opponent's hands at the net.
Medvedev's celebration drew a one-word response from Rennae Stubbs, former coach of the great Serena Williams.
"Lol" she posted (Via X).
This is not the first time Stubbs has reacted to Medvedev's on-court antics. Back in 2024, the Russian engaged in a light-hearted on-court interview with Jim Courier at the Australian Open. Medvedev joked about his on-court strategist, revealing how it worked against certain opponents and how it felt sort of against others.
On that occasion, Stubbs had taken to X and expressed her amusement at Medvedev's candid nature.
"If you don’t like @DaniilMedwed …… there is something wrong with you!! He’s so awesome!!!!” she wrote on X.
However, when Medvedev grabbed the headlines for the wrong reason at the 2024 Laver Cup for dangerously throwing the racket off the court, Stubbs was critical of the Russian player and stated that he should have been disqualified for his on-court behavior.
"Great feeling to win it"- Daniil Medvedev on his quarterfinal win at Indian Wells
After his match against Fils, Medvedev was at his candid best when talking to the press. During his post-match interview, he claimed that his unusual celebration was due to winning a close match, capped off by a terrific rally on match point.
The Russian pointed out that he had suffered some close losses this year already, singling out the loss against Learner Tien at the Australian Open and against Tallon Griekspoor at the Dubai Tennis Championships.
"I didn't see it yet uh but yeah I mean the first of all the I lost three very tight matches this year two of which I was really close to winning, Tien and Griekspoor, and the more you lose matches like this the more you lose confidence in this tight moments" said Medvedev.
When asked if he would repeat his celebration in the semifinals, Medvedev singled out this match to be special. The Russian commended the on-court atmosphere, crowd support, and the high quality of the match, which led to his celebration.
"I mean today was an amazing match amazing crowd amazing match tough one with the win and everything but I felt like high level from both of us so was just a great feeling to to win it I mean always a great feeling" added Medvedev.
Medvedev will now face Holger Rune in the semifinals in a bid to make his third successive final at Indian Wells.