Serena Williams' ex-coach Rennae Stubbs gives her verdict on Felix Auger-Aliassime & Alexander Bublik's controversial incident in Dubai clash
Rennae Stubbs, who once coached Serena Williams, has shared her take on an unusual incident that occured in a first-round match at the Dubai Tennis Championships in Dubai. Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime was playing Alexander Bublik and at 6-6 in the first set tie-breaker, Bublik served to set up a rally which ended with the Kazakh smashing a powerful shot to Auger-Aliassime's backhand.
As Auger-Aliassime sprinted back to attempt a retrieval, the ball girl positioned at the court's end moved to catch the ball, visibly impeding Auger-Aliassime. Consequently, his backhand return sailed out of bounds. The Canadian immediately requested chair umpire Mirian Bley to review the video. After examining the footage, Bley agreed with Auger-Aliassime and ordered the point to be replayed.
Bublik, incensed with the umpire's verdict, then delivered an underhand serve which caught Auger-Aliassime unaware. Bublik won the point but then went on to double-fault at set point, and eventually lost the match 6-7(7), 7-6(4), 3-6.
The extraordinary incident was reshared by the Tennis TV's X (formerly Twitter) account, under the heading:
"VAR drama in Dubai. A contentious moment in Auger-Aliassime v Bublik..."
Stubbs reacted to the incident on her X account, supporting the umpires's decision, writing:
"Correct decision from the umpire. Unfortunate because chances are he would have still won the point Bublik but it was correct. Also I love when @felixtennis get punchy!!"
Notably, Rennae Stubbs was once the WTA's No. 1 ranked doubles player, and won four doubles Major titles in the 2000s. She also coached Serena Williams towards the end of the multi-major winner's career.
After the match, Auger-Aliassime acknowledged that the contest with Bublik had been a feisty one, but preferred to highlight the quality of the tennis rather than the controversy. He told Arab News:
“It was a good match. I think entertaining for the crowd, for both players. And some good tennis as well. Some crazy shots on both sides during the match. So, yeah, high quality,”
Rennae Stubbs is a respected commentator, pundit, analyst and coach
Rennae Stubbs is a respected tennis personality, pundit and commentator. She is currently the host of "The Rennae Stubbs Tennis Podcast" and previously served as a tennis analyst at the Seven Network until 2018 when she moved to ESPN as one of their most influential pundits.
Notably, Stubbs has a history with Mirian Bley. She once criticized the chair umpire for calling a double bounce in a match involving Haddad Maia, She also criticized umpire Jimmy Pinoargote's handling of a situation involving Frances Tiafoe, and once berated an umpire who handed Novak Djokovic a time penalty.
In addition to coaching Serena Williams, Stubbs also guided Samantha Stosur to her 2021 US Open doubles title. She also coached Karolina Pilskova and Eugenie Bouchard.