“Djokovic, Sinner, Alcaraz aren’t going to give it to you”: Serena Williams’ ex-coach Rennae Stubbs reviews Alexander Zverev’s French Open ‘nightmare’

June 5, 2025

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Serena Williams’ ex-coach, Rennae Stubbs, recently made her feelings known about Alexander Zverev’s performance in the quarterfinals of the French Open. The tournament commenced on May 19 and will conclude on June 8, 2025.

Zverev was last seen in action on the tennis court on June 4 at the quarterfinal round against Novak Djokovic. The latter dominated the four-set match, besting Zverev with a score of 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, and 6-4, and advanced to the semi-finals, where he will be locking horns with Jannik Sinner on June 5.

Shortly after this clash, Williams’ ex-coach, Stubbs, shared her take on the German’s performance against Djokovic. She penned her thoughts on her X handle, stating that Zverev’s dream to claim the French Open’s title was a nightmare. She wrote:

"Zverev is just way to passive when he needs to be. Novak, Sinner and or Alcaraz aren’t going to give it to you. U have to take it and he’s not a player that clearly wants to do that. I guess his “dream” of winning the French this year was really a nightmare," wrote Stubbs.

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Ahead of this, Serena Williams' coach also made her feelings known about the quarterfinal showdown between Carlos Alcaraz and Tommy Paul, who was carrying a leg injury.

Serena Williams' ex-coach Rennae Stubbs opened up about Novak Djokovic's age as the cause for his struggles

In one of the episodes of her podcast, "The Rennae Stubbs Tennis Podcast," Serena Williams' former coach shared what she thinks is the main reason for Novak Djokovic's lukewarm performance. Following the Serb's early loss at the Indian Wells Masters against Botic van de Zandschulp, Stubbs stated that his age is one of the factors affecting his performance.

Talking about footspeed, confidence, and mental strength, she said:

"At some point you hit an age where things just get harder. And at 38, you get little bit slower, you get a little bit more nervous, you get less confident, and he hasn't won a tournament since he won the Olympics last year," Rennae Stubbs said on her podcast (from 27:39 onwards). "I just think it's getting harder, and I don't care who is in your corner, you gotta do it yourself," said Serena Williams' ex-coach.

She added:

"You gotta convince yourself you're still good enough to win the matches. And these guys are only getter better and better, and the key is that the players, they've started to realize that he's not invincible." (28:49)

Serena Williams' ex-coach, Rennae Stubbs, recently supported Mirra Andreeva after she was booed by the crowd amid her French Open quarterfinal round.

About the author

An English Honors graduate, Nancy is a journalist at Sportskeeda covering US Olympic sports. She has a total experience of 4 years, having previously worked as a Marketing Executive for BYJU’S before finding her footing at SK.

To deliver the best content, Nancy keeps herself updated by reading as much as possible about the athletes and the sport, and believes that researching and trusting credible sources is the key to reporting ethical and accurate information.

Track and Field events particularly interest Nancy, and she is a fan of Allyson Felix. While she cherished each of her victories, her favorite Olympic moment happens to be the retired athlete’s 10th medal at the Games.

Nancy believes that covering the personal lives and training sessions of the Olympic athletes, and showcasing old podcasts or interviews would help bridge the coverage gap of the sport in its off season.

When away from her keyboard, Nancy spends most of her free time reading books. She also writes poems and plans on publishing a book.

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