"Stop with the nonsense" - Serena Williams' ex-coach shuts down claims of Coco Gauff intentionally 'tanking' to eliminate Iga Swiatek from WTA Finals
Serena Williams' former coach Rennae Stubbs has firmly refuted claims that Coco Gauff plotted to eliminate Iga Swiatek from the 2024 WTA Finals. Stubbs explained why the allegations of Gauff deliberately losing to Barbora Krejcikova were baseless.
Swiatek recently fell short of defending her title at the WTA Finals, failing to reach the semifinals while Gauff clinched her maiden crown at the year-end championships. The American produced a stellar run in Riyadh, beating Jessica Pegula and the Pole to seal her spot in the final four.
Although Iga Swiatek triumphed over Barbora Krejcikova and Daria Kasatkina in the group stage, her semifinal hopes depended on Gauff beating the Czech in the final round-robin match. However, the American suffered a 7-5, 6-4 loss to Krejcikova, which knocked Swiatek out of the tournament.
Coco Gauff's loss prompted fans to accuse the World No. 3 of "tanking" the match to prevent the Pole from progressing to the semifinals. However, Rennae Stubbs has dismissed such claims, arguing that it would be illogical for the American to intentionally set up a tougher semifinal clash with Aryna Sabalenka by losing to Krejcikova.
Speaking on the latest episode of the 'Rennae Stubbs Tennis Podcast,' the Australian pointed out that Gauff had more to gain by going undefeated in the tournament, as it would have entitled her to a bonus amount on top of her historic prize money of $4.8 million.
"Somebody wrote about, 'Coco tanked the match against Krejcikova so Iga couldn’t get through to the semifinals.' No, that’s not how it works. First of all, Coco says, 'I’m going to lose to Krejcikova and then have the possibility of playing Krejcikova again or I’ve already beaten Iga and now if I lose to Krejcikova then I get to play Sabalenka in the semis. Yeah!'" Stubbs said.
"No way, that’s not what she’s thinking. She’s thinking, 'I want to win again, I want to get more money into my pocket.' Because if she’d gone undefeated, she’d have made even more money. If you go undefeated, you get an extra bonus," she added.
Dismissing the allegations as "nonsense," Stubbs emphasized that Gauff wouldn't want to enter the semifinals with a loss, especially when locking horns with World No. 1 Sabalenka, who has been the best hard-court player this season. She also highlighted that the 20-year-old was visibly upset after losing to Krejcikova.
"Arguably, you would say playing against Qinwen at the time was easier than playing against Sabalenka. Why would you want to play Sabalenka?" Stubbs argued.
"For anyone to suggest that Coco went in there with the dubious sense of, 'I’m going to kick out Iga Swiatek,' is nonsense. There’s no way you want to lose a match going into the semifinals, arguably playing against the best player on hard courts all year in Sabalenka. So, stop with the nonsense. That is not what happened. She got beat and she was pissed about losing," she added.
"Coco Gauff used her opportunities much better than I did" - Iga Swiatek on WTA Finals loss to American
Iga Swiatek had entered her group stage clash with Coco Gauff at the 2024 WTA Finals as the clear favorite, given her dominant 11-1 winning record against the American. However, Gauff stunned the Pole to claim an impressive 6-3, 6-4 victory, securing her place in the semifinals.
Speaking to the press after her loss, Swiatek acknowledged that the World No. 3 was the "better player" in the contest. She also admitted that, despite their lopsided head-to-head record, it was always a challenge to beat the 20-year-old.
"Well, for sure I wasn't solid enough, and Coco used her opportunities much better than I did. You know, had some break points that I didn't win. And for sure, I made more unforced errors. And when you play Coco, you know you need to be solid. Even though our head to head was more positive for me, it's still never easy to win against her," Iga Swiatek said.
Putting the disappointment of her WTA Finals campaign behind her, Iga Swiatek has arrived in Malaga for the Billie Jean King Cup Finals. Coco Gauff, meanwhile, has ended her 2024 season, enjoying some quality time with her grandmother after returning home to Florida.