The WTA might be known for its global reach and for championing equality for women in sports. But recently, there has been criticism over their double standards. At the center of the storm is Canadian tennis player Carson Branstine, who called out the leniency shown to top stars like Iga Swiatek. Her viral rant, however, quickly got a reply from former world No. 1 doubles player and tennis commentator Rennae Stubbs.
Carson Branstine Torches WTA Over Iga Świątek Pass, Provoking Reply From Stubbs
On Monday, Branstine took to social media to air her thoughts in a viral video, simply captioned: “POV: you play professional tennis.” The clip dripped with sarcasm and anger, her acting as a tennis official, pointing out the clear double standard between the sport’s biggest stars and players on the lower rankings:
“Oh, you can’t get a day off. Are you nuts? I mean, yeah, she failed a drug test, but like, she’s number one in the world, like we need her to play. But like that other girl who’s ranked 300 who got contaminated meat, we’re just gonna ban her for four years, like we don’t need her. Oh, you have a really good reason why you can’t play this week? Well, you’d better show up here still, otherwise we’re not gonna believe you, and you’re gonna get fined,” Branstine mocked how the authorities respond.
The 25-year-old also continued to shred the tour’s bias in infrastructure, injuries, scheduling, and travel. “Oh, sorry about your injury, you’re not gonna make a single dollar for eight months. You must be crazy for thinking we would cover your medical bills at the tournament we hosted you at. Yeah, we have insurance, but it’s like the most expensive insurance ever, of course.”
An Instagram post followed, where Branstine clarified her stance on the doping controversy: “And just to clarify for the drug testing thing, it’s not about the individual players. It’s about having equal treatment. I don’t think anybody should’ve been banned for anything contaminated.” She fiercely defended her remarks, adding, “I WILL ALWAYS HAVE THE PLAYERS BACKS CUZ THOSE ARE MY DAWGS FOR LIFE.”
To understand Branstine’s anger, you have to look at Świątek’s doping case. In August 2024, the Pole failed an out-of-competition drug test. She tested positive for Trimetazidine (TMZ), a banned heart medication. But the substance was eventually traced back to a contaminated melatonin supplement she took to help with jet lag. Because tennis authorities decided she was at the lowest level of fault, Świątek was given a very light one-month suspension.
However, Branstine’s callout also did not go unanswered. Former pro and tennis commentator Stubbs quickly fired back on X, taking umbrage with Branstine’s narrative and defending the WTA’s policies.
Stubbs insisted that the rules of the sport apply equally to everyone.
“lets get some facts straight,” Stubbs commented. “If ure on the @WTA , u get physios, massage & doctors free every tourny. U get relatively cheap WORLD wide med. insurance compared to self med insurance in the US. The tourney pays 4 ur hotel for a min of 3-4 days & every day ur in said tourney.”
The WTA officials have not yet responded to Branstine. The rules might be the same on paper, but money creates a totally different reality.
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Meanwhile, Branstine, who balances her pro tennis career with professional modeling, is competing on the WTA Tour and the ITF Women’s World Tennis Tour, recently achieving a top-200 ranking and entering the 2026 Australian Open qualifying round.
Świątek’s expected to be back in the Rome Masters after she was forced to retire mid-match during her third-round clash against Ann Li on Saturday, due to a stomach virus at the Madrid Open.
