Serena Williams’ Ex-Coach Dismisses Exhibition Event Featuring Aryna Sabalenka and Naomi Osaka, Calling it ‘a Joke’

Naomi Osaka played two finals this year, losing both. But Aryna Sabalenka ended the season with four titles.

Serena Williams’ Ex-Coach Dismisses Exhibition Event Featuring Aryna Sabalenka and Naomi Osaka, Calling it ‘a Joke’

Aryna Sabalenka, Naomi Osaka (Image via X/TNT Sports, Christian's Court)

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Aryna Sabalenka has been featuring in exhibition tournaments during the off-season. She was one of the four players who participated in the Gardens Cup, held at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

During the event, Sabalenka locked horns with fellow four-time Grand Slam singles champion Naomi Osaka. They also played mixed doubles, where the pair of Sabalenka and Ben Shelton defeated the team of Osaka and Nick Kyrgios.

The Belarusian won her singles match, during which both she and Osaka invited a fan to play with the latter, also making him do push-ups. But the match didn’t impress Serena Williams‘ former coach, Rennae Stubbs, who called the exhibition a joke.

I think the Atlanta exhibition show was a bit of a joke. It wasn’t really competitive. They weren’t really trying. They kind of yucked it up a little too much there. I think it was a bit chaotic.

Rennae Stubbs said on her The Rennae Stubbs Tennis Podcast

It was Sabalenka’s second meeting against the Japanese ace. The lone official match that they played was in the fourth round of the 2018 Australian Open, which Osaka won before defeating 23-time Grand Slam singles champion Williams in the final to win her career’s first Grand Slam title.

Osaka’s agency, Evolve, will organize the Battle of the Sexes on December 28. In the match, Sabalenka will lock horns with Kyrgios, whose fitness problems forced him to miss many tournaments. The match has invited a lot of criticism, with many saying a man versus woman clash wouldn’t serve any purpose.

Rennae Stubbs compares Coco Gauff’s season to that of Aryna Sabalenka’s

According to Rennae Stubbs, Coco Gauff had a disappointing season if she compares herself to Serena Williams and Venus Williams‘ early years of their careers, as they won several Majors at Gauff’s age. But Stubbs said if Gauff thinks the 2025 season taught her a lot about the improvement she needed, like Aryna Sabalenka, then it was a great season for the 21-year-old.

Coco Gauff (via X/Jose Morgado)
Coco Gauff (via X/Jose Morgado)

If she looks at it like Sabalenka, which was a learning year of what can I get better at in 2026, then sure, this was a great year for her in terms of looking at winning a major title and going I know how much better I can get. Then there are a lot of parts of her game that she can get better at. Having said that, she has a new biomechanics coach in Gavin [MacMillan], so we will see how she turns up in Australia, because that will answer a lot of the questions.

Rennae Stubbs said on her The Rennae Stubbs Tennis Podcast

Gauff won two titles this year. After multiple early round exits earlier this year, Gauff clinched her second Grand Slam singles title by defeating Sabalenka in the French Open final. Prior to Roland Garros, Gauff lost the title clashes of the Madrid Open and the Italian Open to Sabalenka and Jasmine Paolini, respectively.

Gauff then once again struggled to make deep runs in the next few events before she won her first WTA 1000 of the season at the Wuhan Open. At the WTA Finals, Gauff played as the defending champion, but she failed to progress to the semifinals.

Sabalenka, on the other hand, reached nine finals, winning four titles. Although she was unsuccessful in defeating Gauff at the French Open and Madison Keys in the Australian Open final, she beat home favorite Amanda Anisimova to defend her US Open crown. The 27-year-old also made it to the title clash of the WTA Finals for the second time in her career, but once again couldn’t end the match in her favor, losing it to Elena Rybakina.

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