“Billionaire heiresses worked same hard work as Venus & Serena Williams?” – Fans disagree with Rennae Stubbs over ‘obtuse’ comments on Pegula, Navarro
Serena Williams’ ex-coach Rennae Stubbs has spoken up about the criticism that is often directed at Jessica Pegula and Emma Navarro. Pegula and Navarro both come from billionaire families, and many perceive their success in tennis as a direct consequence of them being born into money. Stubbs blatantly disagrees with this particular take, but her stance has not gone down well with several fans.
Pegula, who recently reached her maiden Grand Slam final at the 2024 US Open but ultimately lost to Aryna Sabalenka, is the daughter of Terry and Kim Pegula. The billionaire couple own National Hockey League team Buffalo Sabres, the National Lacrosse League’s Buffalo Bandits, and NFL outfit Buffalo Bills.Meanwhile, 2024 US Open semifinalist Navarro’s father, Ben, founded consumer debt buying juggernaut Sherman Financial Group. He also owns Credit One Bank, and Forbes reported his net worth to be around $1.5 billion.
Unsurprisingly, Jessica Pegula and Emma Navarro’s critics often cite their rich backgrounds to downplay their respective achievements in tennis. According to these critics, the Americans could access the best facilities and coaches from a young age, whereas aspiring players with more modest means could not/cannot.In light of such criticism, Rennae Stubbs, former doubles No. 1 and coach of Serena Williams for her ill-fated 2022 US Open campaign, took to X (formerly Twitter) and voiced her take on the subject. Stubbs compared Pegula and Navarro’s respective backgrounds to that of Venus and Serena Williams, opining that it’s hard work and dedication, and not money, that leads to success in tennis.
“Anyone who thinks because someone comes from money guarantees success, has no clue! Venus & Serena came from nothing but they worked theirs a**es off to be great. Jess & Emma worked the same amount on court and off too. Were they better off, yes, does it help u WIN, NO!” Stubbs wrote cacross a series of posts.
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Stubbs’ words though, rubbed many fans the wrong way. Clearly displeased with the former doubles No. 1’s take, they shared their own, wondering how the Australian could come to such a conclusion.These fans argued that the likes of Pegula and Navarro could always comfortably afford to train at the best facilities and appoint world-class coaches, which Venus and Serena Williams could not when they were young.
“You thinking billionaire heiresses Emma Navarro and Jessica Pegula worked the same amount of hard work on and off the court as Venus and Serena Williams who had to come from Compton is crazy,” a fan wrote.
“How can you put Serena and Venus in the same sentence! We have to acknowledge that coming from a wealthy family sure does have advantages. No one is questioning how hard they work, but let’s not forget the struggles that most tennis players have not having a rich family,” commented another fan.
“You’re being completely and utterly obtuse,” another chimed in.
There were others who weren’t as critical of Stubbs as the previous set of fans, but still stated that money does play a pivotal role in facilitating success, especially in tennis, which is considered among the most expensive sports to pursue professionally.
“True, you still need to work very hard. Is there not a difference however if you watch the challenger level player who are surviving. If they had money for flights, best hotels to sleep in, equipment, coaches etc they would thrive too. Can only go so far for pure love of it?” asked a fan.
“Don’t think any reasonable person would disagree. We can still acknowledge that in the U.S. tennis is an extremely expensive sport to play/train at an elite level. Those with infinitely more access to resources will have infinitely higher chances of success/reaching the top,” another fan commented.
“Yes, no doubt but to say that her family money did not help Pegula enormously when she was struggling to make it as a pro from age 18 to 24 is to deny the obvious. The biggest help surely was top flite coaching, which 90% of players in her position simply could not afford,” yet another fan weighed in.
In 2022, Serena Williams recalled how growing up and playing in Compton contributed to her success as a professional.
Serena Williams revisited playing on the courts in Compton and their role in strengthening her adaptability
Serena Williams at the 2022 US Open (Source: Getty)
Serena Williams at the 2022 US Open (Source: Getty)
Serena Williams was roped in for a special feature video by ‘Wilson Tennis’ in November, 2022. In the video, the former World No. 1 and 23-time singles Major winner reflected on her incredible ability to adapt to any sort of condition on a tennis court. According to Williams, practicing on Compton’s subpar courts growing up helped her in this regard.
“Honestly, every time I try to feel something, I go back and say, ‘Serena, you’re from Compton.’ Yeah (I can adapt to anything). Because of all the things that we had to go through, I think of the courts and the dead balls, and then I literally don’t feel anything. But when I do feel something, I always look at my hitter or my coach and say like, ‘Something’s off.’ Because if I’m feeling it, something is way off,” Williams said.
Serena Williams’ career came to an end at the 2022 US Open, where Rennae Stubbs was her coach. The former World No. 1 was ousted by Ajla Tomljanovic in the third round of the prestigious hard-court Major.
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