Serena Williams' ex-coach rushes to use Steffi Graf anecdote to defend Marketa Vondrousova against criticism after reaching Berlin final

Serena Williams's ex-coach Rennae Stubbs has welcomed the return to form of former Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova. Vondrousova has reached the final of the Grass Court Championships in Berlin, after against-the-odds victories over Madison Keys, Ons Jabeur, and World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka. After two years of injury issues, she appears to be finding her best tennis again.

The Czech former World No. 6 received some criticism for her win over Sabalenka in extraordinarily windy conditions in Berlin. However, Vondrousova handled the elements much better than the Belarusian. Sabalenka had come unstuck in similarly windy conditions against Coco Gauff in the French Open final a couple of weeks earlier.

Rennae Stubbs hosts the Rennae Stubbs Tennis Podcast, was a doubles specialist in her playing days, and is now a coach and tennis analyst. Stubbs shared her delight in Marketa Vondrousova's resurgence on her X account, stating:

"So happy to see Marketa Vondrousova playing so well again and HEALTHY!"

Stubbs also provided her analysis of Vondrousova's victory. She drew a comparison between the 25-year-old and Steffi Graf, who, she suggested, was able to play in windy conditions because of her exceptional footwork. Stubbs felt that Vondrousova's footwork made the difference against Sabalenka, posting:

"The greatest tennis player I saw play in the wind was Steffi Graf. U know why? Great footwork! That's part of the game mate."

Steffi Graf won 22 Major singles titles in the 1980s and 1990s. She was No. 1 for a record 377 weeks, and her 107 WTA titles are the second most in the Open Era.

Marketa Vondrousova still has time to realise the early promise of her 2023 Wimbledon victory.

Day Fourteen: The Championships - Wimbledon 2023 - Source: Getty

Marketa Vondrousova won her only Grand Slam title at Wimbledon in 2023. She defeated Ons Jabeur 6-4, 6-4 in the final and appeared to be set for a bright future. Unfortunately, she suffered wrist, shoulder, and thigh injuries that have disrupted her progress since, and has missed large chunks of the 2025 season. She's dropped to No. 165 in the rankings.

After beating Sabalenka, Vondrousova told her post-match press conference that despite her setbacks, she was confident of doing well in Berlin when she saw the draw:

“I didn’t play for a long time. I’m just happy to be back healthy, and so grateful to play these matches. When I saw the field here, I was like, ‘OK, let’s just try to win the first round,’ and then, you know, now this is happening.”

Vondrousova plays Wang Xinyu in the Berlin final. Given the quality of the opposition she's beaten in Germany this week, she'll be confident of picking up her first trophy since her famous Wimbledon win.

Edited by pranavsethii