Wednesday, June 4, 2025
Home Tenis "Iga Swiatek showed the heart of a champion" - Serena Williams' ex-coach...

“Iga Swiatek showed the heart of a champion” – Serena Williams’ ex-coach lauds Pole for thrilling comeback French Open win over Elena Rybakina

Serena Williams’ ex-coach, Rick Macci, lauded Iga Swiatek’s exceptional efforts to come back from a set down and defeat Elena Rybakina at the 2025 French Open. The Pole has qualified for the quarterfinals for the sixth consecutive time on Parisian clay.

Ad

On Sunday, June 1, Swiatek took on Rybakina in the fourth round of the French Open. Both competitors were in fine form at the event, but the Kazakh ran away with the first set in no time. She broke and led again in the second, but Swiatek, playing at her favorite event, was not to be counted out.

The World No. 5 mounted an exceptional comeback, winning the second set and eventually bagging the decider to register a 1-6, 6-3, 7-5 win.

Ad

Swiatek has not reached a final since winning the 2024 French Open title and seemed to be low on confidence and struggling in form before this year's clay-court Slam. However, Macci believed that her confidence was back.

"Iga showed the heart of a champion who has been there done that. She has the Big C back and no matter if she taking that Punch she is staying mentally strong and not going out for Lunch," Serena Williams' ex-coach Rick Macci wrote on X.

Ad

Ad

Swiatek has now reached the quarterfinals at three consecutive Grand Slam events. She will face the 13th seed, Elina Svitolina, next in Paris.


Serena Williams' ex-coach Rennae Stubbs was unhappy with Iga Swiatek's service against Elena Rybakina at French Open, but admitted that it improved

Rennae Stubbs watches on as Serena Williams plays at the 2022 US Open - Source: Getty
Rennae Stubbs watches on as Serena Williams plays at the 2022 US Open - Source: Getty

Early on, in the fourth-round clash between Iga Swiatek and Elena Rybakina, the Pole was not serving well. Her service let her down, and Serena Williams' ex-coach, Rennae Stubbs, commented about it on X.

Ad

"Iga poor serving is going to crush her in this match. I don’t know why she doesn’t hit a Kick serve as a first serve particularly on the second court. And if you don’t serve well against Elena, your toast," she wrote.

Ad

Later, fans commented on her post about Swiatek's late rally and victory. One fan wrote:

"Where are you now? And do you have anything else to say?"

Stubbs responded:

"Yeah on my Podcast. You’ll hear all about it. Served better and made the difference."

In the quarterfinals, Iga Swiatek takes on Elina Svitolina. The Pole leads their head-to-head 3-1, winning their only battle on clay in Rome in 2021.

Quick Links

Edited by Hitesh Nigam
RELATED ARTICLES

“Mind games on steroids” – Serena Williams’ ex-coach makes major prediction for Jannik Sinner & Alexander Bublik’s French Open QF

Serena Williams' coach, Rick Macci, recently made his feelings known about the clash between Jannik Sinner and Alexander Bublik at the 2025 French Open's quarterfinal round. The clash will take place on June 3 at the Philippe-Chatrier court, Roland Garros, Paris. Ad Sinner was last seen in action on June 2 in the fourth round

Tracy Austin breaks down which weather conditions will favor Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek in French Open SF

Former World No. 1 Tracy Austin has revealed how weather conditions can favor Aryna Sabalenka or Iga Swiatek ahead of their semifinal match at the French Open. The duo are set to face each other on Thursday (June 5, 2025). Ad While Sabalenka entered Paris after a quarterfinal exit in Rome, Swiatek was eliminated in

“This is just ridiculous” – Fans debate scheduling for Iga Swiatek & Aryna Sabalenka’s French Open SF after Carlos Alcaraz’s ‘uncompetitive’ win

The French Open night scheduling saga took a turn as Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek's quarterfinal matches lasted longer than Carlos Alcaraz's clash against Tommy Paul. Previously, the tournament organizers highlighted that men's matches were preferred over women's for night sessions, owing to the business it would generate due to longer playing durations. However, insider

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

- Advertisment -

Most Popular

2x NBA All-Star reveals Kobe Bryant’s pointed trash talk aimed at Gilbert Arenas after he dropped 60 points: “Next time, 50”

2x NBA All-Star Caron Butler shed light on the time Kobe Bryant trash-talked his Washington Wizards teammate, Gilbert Arenas. Arenas scored a career-high 60 points against Bryant and the Lakers in December 2006. Kobe Bryant finished the game with 45 points on 15-24 shooting. Caron Butler was also impactful, finishing with 27 points. Ad While

Dallas Mavericks coach Jason Kidd all but confirms Cooper Flagg trade decision with sneaky comment

Dallas Mavericks coach Jason Kidd has all but confirmed the Mavericks’ intention to pick Cooper Flagg in the 2025 NBA draft. Kidd appeared on “105.3 The Fan,” where the host asked him whether it would pay off to bet on Dallas drafting the Duke prodigy. Ad Kidd promptly answered, saying yes before mentioning that the

“Mind games on steroids” – Serena Williams’ ex-coach makes major prediction for Jannik Sinner & Alexander Bublik’s French Open QF

Serena Williams' coach, Rick Macci, recently made his feelings known about the clash between Jannik Sinner and Alexander Bublik at the 2025 French Open's quarterfinal round. The clash will take place on June 3 at the Philippe-Chatrier court, Roland Garros, Paris. Ad Sinner was last seen in action on June 2 in the fourth round

Tracy Austin breaks down which weather conditions will favor Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek in French Open SF

Former World No. 1 Tracy Austin has revealed how weather conditions can favor Aryna Sabalenka or Iga Swiatek ahead of their semifinal match at the French Open. The duo are set to face each other on Thursday (June 5, 2025). Ad While Sabalenka entered Paris after a quarterfinal exit in Rome, Swiatek was eliminated in

Recent Comments