Rennae Stubbs, former coach to Serena Williams and current tennis analyst, found herself in the middle of a social media firestorm after her Wimbledon men’s favorite, Jack Draper, suffered a shocking second-round defeat. Stubbs, who had publicly backed the young Brit as a serious contender for the Wimbledon crown, is now being mercilessly trolled online — and she’s not staying silent.
Draper, who entered the tournament on a hot streak and with sky-high expectations from fans and pundits alike, faltered in Round 2 against an unseeded opponent in what’s being called one of the tournament’s biggest upsets so far. The loss stunned Centre Court — but the online backlash hit even harder, and oddly enough, a lot of it was directed at… Stubbs.
“Rennae jinxed him,” one user posted. “She picked Draper and boom, out in two rounds. Stop trying to predict!” another chimed in. Hashtags like #StubbsCurse and #BlameRennae started popping up across tennis Twitter, fueling the pile-on.
Never one to shy away from confrontation, Stubbs fired back with a sharp and classy tweet:
“For the record: I picked Draper because he’s talented, playing great, and has a big future. If your fave loses, don’t blame the commentator. Blame the result.”
Mic drop.
She continued in a follow-up post, saying, “The sport’s beautiful because it’s unpredictable. If picking someone makes them lose, trust me, I’d be a billionaire. Chill, trolls.”
Stubbs, known for her no-nonsense style and fearless tennis commentary, received support from fellow analysts and former pros. Tennis legend Billie Jean King liked her post, and journalist Jon Wertheim tweeted, “Rennae picked a player based on form and facts. That’s her job. The outcome isn’t her fault — it’s sport.”
Meanwhile, Draper himself made no mention of Stubbs in his post-match press conference, instead taking responsibility for his early exit: “I didn’t execute today, simple as that. That’s on me. I’ll be back stronger.”
Despite the social media noise, Stubbs is carrying on, still front and center in ESPN’s Wimbledon coverage. “If we’re going to punish people for having opinions in sport, we might as well cancel commentary,” she added.
At the end of the day, Stubbs reminded everyone why she’s been a respected voice in tennis for decades — unshaken, unapologetic, and still serving aces in the commentary booth. As for the trolls? Let’s just say they picked the wrong opponent.