Former doubles world No. 1 Rennae Stubbs recently shared her thoughts on Iga Świątek’s controversial incident with the chair umpire after her loss to Elena Rybakina in the second group stage match at the 2025 WTA Finals. The controversy arose when the Pole did not shake hands with the chair umpire immediately after the match.
Before the season-ending tournament, Świątek competed at the 2025 Wuhan Open, where she reached the quarterfinals before losing to Jasmine Paolini.
What Did Rennae Stubbs Say About Iga Świątek Not Shaking Chair Umpire’s Hand at WTA Finals 2025?
At the 2025 WTA Finals, Świątek was seeded second and began her campaign with a convincing 6-1, 6-2 victory over seventh seed Madison Keys in her first group stage match. In the next round, she faced sixth seed Rybakina and won the first set 6-3.
However, the Kazakh made a strong comeback, winning the following two sets and ultimately the match with a score of 3-6, 6-1, 6-0. This marked Rybakina’s fifth victory against Świątek in their 11 match-ups on the WTA Tour.
After her match with Rybakina, Świątek shook hands with her opponent at the net but did not acknowledge the chair umpire. Instead, she walked toward her bench.
This gesture drew criticism from tennis fans, and there was some debate about whether she ignored the chair umpire. Some fans claimed that Świątek eventually shook hands with the chair umpire after putting her racket down on the bench.
In a recent episode of the “Rennae Stubbs Tennis Podcast,” Stubbs discussed the incident involving Świątek and the chair umpire at the 2025 WTA Finals, describing it as “unusual.” She also acknowledged the Pole’s point of view, noting that she must have been “upset” following her loss and wanted to collect her thoughts before addressing the umpire.
“I mean, it was a little bit unusual. I’m not gonna lie. I thought, you know, you usually go shake the hand immediately of the umpire, and then you sort of go. But I think she was just thinking, I’m a little bit upset, I’m gonna go put my racket down, and then I’m gonna [shake the umpire’s hand],” Stubbs said.
Stubbs mentioned that Świątek ultimately did shake the chair umpire’s hand, doing the right thing in the end, even after getting “smoked” with a 6-0 loss in the third set.
“She definitely shook the umpire’s hand. So calm the farm, everybody out there. She did the right thing in the end, and we’ve all lost, and it’s never fun because you lose, especially getting smoked 6-0 in the third,” she added.
Who Will Świątek Face Next at the 2025 WTA Finals?
Following her loss to Rybakina in her second group stage match at the 2025 WTA Finals, Świątek is set to face fourth seed Amanda Anisimova in the third group stage match of the tournament.
Leading up to the season-ending tournament, Anisimova participated in the 2025 China Open, where she was seeded third. She started her campaign in the second round after receiving a first-round bye.
The world No. 4 defeated Katie Boulter, Zhang Shuai, Karolína Muchová, Jasmine Paolini, and defending champion Coco Gauff to reach the final. In the championship match, Anisimova defeated Linda Nosková to win the tournament, claiming her second WTA 1000 title and her fourth overall WTA Tour title.
At the 2025 WTA Finals, Anisimova began her campaign with a loss, falling to Rybakina with a scoreline of 3-6, 1-6 in her first group stage match. She then secured her place against Świątek by defeating compatriot, seventh seed Madison Keys, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2.
Świątek and Anisimova have faced each other twice on the WTA Tour, with both players winning one match each. Both of their encounters occurred this year during Grand Slam tournaments. Their first meeting took place in the final of the 2025 Wimbledon Championships, where the former World No. 1 won with a score of 6-0, 6-0, claiming her sixth Grand Slam title.
Świątek and Anisimova’s most recent encounter was in the quarterfinals of the 2025 US Open, which the American won 6-4, 6-3. She then went on to finish as the runner-up to Aryna Sabalenka.