Former doubles World No. 1 Rennae Stubbs has come to the defense of Coco Gauff amid controversy surrounding her match against Karolina Pliskova at the Dubai Tennis Championships.
Gauff, who advanced to the Round of 16 after defeating Elisabetta Cocciaretto, faced Pliskova in what turned out to be a challenging encounter on Wednesday, February 21.
The 19-year-old initially struggled, conceding the opening set to Pliskova. However, Gauff staged a comeback, securing a 4-2 lead in the second set. Amid this momentum shift, a contentious call by chair umpire Pierre Bacchi during Gauff’s service game sparked frustration.
Gauff challenged the umpire’s decision to call her serve “fault,” only for Hawk-Eye to later confirm that her serve was indeed valid. Despite this, Bacchi opted to grant Gauff another first serve, citing interference during Pliskova’s return.
In response, Gauff requested the presence of the supervisor, a request that was denied by Bacchi.
Taking to social media, Stubbs, who previously coached Serena Williams, voiced support for Gauff’s actions. While acknowledging the umpire’s authority in making judgment calls, Stubbs emphasized Gauff’s right to seek clarification from the supervisor.
“The umpire is correct in saying it’s a judgment call & his to make. The other correct thing is Coco has EVERY RIGHT to ask for the supervisor & he should have called her & the supervisor should have then come out to explain that she can’t change the decision.
BS from him & rude,” she stated on X (formerly Twitter). “Oh and may I add, he was also WRONG! Coco Gauff very rarely loses it like this unless she feels wronged, exhibit A,” she further remarked.
