Serena Williams’ former coach Rennae Stubbs has criticized the handling of a dispute involving Coco Gauff and chair umpire Pierre Bacchi during her third-round match at the 2024 Dubai Tennis Championships.
Gauff progressed to the quarterfinals after defeating Karolina Pliskova 2-6, 6-4, 6-3, but the match was overshadowed by an argument during the second set. Gauff was serving to take a 5-2 lead when a controversial call by Bacchi in favor of Pliskova sparked the dispute.
Despite a challenge showing Gauff’s service was in, Bacchi upheld his decision, leading Gauff to request a discussion with the tour supervisor, which was denied.
During an episode of the ‘Rennae Stubbs Tennis Podcast,’ Stubbs argued that Bacchi was obligated to contact the tour supervisor when Gauff requested it.
Stubbs suggested that Gauff should have refused to continue playing after Bacchi failed to comply with her request, stating, “For a fact, if you ask for the tour supervisor, he has to call the tour supervisor.”
She criticized Bacchi’s decision not to involve the supervisor, noting, “Where he was incorrect was not tending the supervisor out just to appease her because she was doing that just to make a point.”
Stubbs believed Gauff’s intent in calling for the supervisor was to assert her correctness, acknowledging that Gauff knew she couldn’t alter the judgment call.
Expressing her dissatisfaction with Bacchi’s handling of the situation, Stubbs labeled his decision as the “worst,” emphasizing, “That was the worst f*cking call I’ve seen in a long time.”
She further criticized Bacchi’s behavior, stating, “I just don’t understand why he decided to overrule in the first place. Like, shut the f*ck up.”
Stubbs concluded by expressing hope that Bacchi would face consequences for his actions, asserting, “Frankly, that was b*llsh*t what happened with that umpire, and I hope he gets a big time scolding for that.”
