Venus Williams recently landed in controversy for her blunt comments about Serena Williams’ Wimbledon 2026 opponent Maya Joint. The veteran appeared to take aim at the 20-year-old’s immediate exit after she had defeated her sister.
Venus’ remarks raised eyebrows across the tennis community, with some fans calling the comments “shady.” She, however, received support from Serena’s coach Rennae Stubbs, who believed it was a “correct” observation.
Rennae Stubbs Reflects on Serena Williams’ Exit After Venus Williams’ Comments
After returning to competitive tennis on grass, Serena Williams accepted her first singles wildcard at Wimbledon and drew 20-year-old Aussie Maya Joint as her first opponent. Joint was on a 10-match losing streak on the Tour level and entered the tournament with three wins and 15 losses for the season.
Joint snapped her losing streak with an inspired performance against the 23-time Grand Slam champion, winning with a 6-3, 6-7(6), 6-3 score. Given that it was Serena’s first singles match back, she earned praise for her impressive display against an opponent 24 years younger.
When asked about her sister’s performance, Venus Williams said at the Mubadala DC Open, “It was very unlucky. Sometimes you play players who are on fire, and they don’t seem to maintain that level afterwards.”
During the recent episode of the Rennae Stubbs Tennis Podcast, Serena’s coach addressed the comments. “She’s not wrong. Serena played well. We know what happened with the knee. She was very much hobbled. That was definitely a problem, certainly in the third set. Maya Joint played the match of her life. She played the best match this year and then subsequently lost the next match the following day. Played a great first set and then just fell away.”
Joint lost her next match to Alexandra Eala 3-6, 6-2, 6-0. “Everyone’s like, ‘What a great draw! Maya Joint hasn’t won a match in so long. This is the perfect match.’ And then she came out and played unbelievable,” Stubbs recalled.
“What Venus is saying, I have no problem with her saying that because it was correct,” she added. “I think Venus is being very protective of her little sister, and I’m okay with it because she didn’t say anything that was not correct.”
Serena Williams is presently in rehab as she focuses on regaining full fitness. Venus, meanwhile, has resumed her campaign at the Mubadala DC Open. She has reached the doubles quarterfinal after winning her first match alongside Diana Shnaider. In singles, she faces Anastasia Potapova on Tuesday.
