Aryna Sabalenka pulled out of the Canadian Open, citing fatigue from the hectic WTA schedule to be one of the reasons for her withdrawal in a statement released on July 17. Serena Williams’ ex-coach Rennae Stubbs supported her decision by hitting back at a user who questioned her physical abilities.
Former Mauritian ATP player, Kamil Patel, condemned Sabalenka’s decision to withdraw from the WTA 1000 tournament, stating that it was quite unbelievable of her to state ‘fatigue’ as one of her reasons, when she is helped with a world-class facility.
“This can’t be true! So one of the highest paid athletes in the world with a team of physios, fitness trainers and coaches who plays best of 3, gets 2 days rest between matches in Slams, and M1000s, doesn’t play doubles and still manages fatigue? The problem can’t be the schedule,” he posted.
Stubbs was furious over his remark and pointed out that it reeked of bias as he did not complain about the men- Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic and Jannik Sinner, who also did not take part in Montreal.
"You clearly have a problem with women. I don’t see you complaining and going after all the men that pulled out of Canada. U seem very clear with your hate," replied Stubbs on X (formerly Twitter).
Aryna Sabalenka had an unsuccessful run at the Grand Slams this season, losing in the finals of the Australian and French Open, and most recently at the semifinals of Wimbledon.
Aryna Sabalenka's 'hate relationship' with Wimbledon
Aryna Sabalenka admitted having a relationship of hate with Wimbledon after she exited the tournament, losing to Amanda Anisimova in the semifinals. She claimed that her track record at the tournament, which consists of three semifinal exits, along with her ban in the 2022 edition.
During an interview after her match, she joked about having an unpleasant relationship with the tournament, but kept a positive attitude about her future at the tournament. She said:
“It’s tough to think about that, but I really hope so. I lost three semis, three tough ones. Then I was banned from playing [in 2022]. Then I was injured. So I have really more of a hate relationship right now with Wimbledon, but I hope that one day I will turn it around and have love relationship.”
However, recently, the Belarusian enjoyed a vacation with her boyfriend, Georgios Frangulis, in Miami to get back on track before the US Open.
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