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Serena Williams' ex-coach, Rennae Stubbs, weighed in on whether Svetlana Kuznetsova wasn't inducted into the Hall of Fame alongside Roger Federer because of being Russian. The Swiss will be receiving the prestigious honor in August 2026.
Kuznetsova, who is a retired Russian player, had an illustrious career. She won 18 singles titles in her career, including two Grand Slams. She nabbed the 2004 US Open title and the 2009 French Open, and in addition, she also won two Grand Slam doubles titles. The player also achieved a career-high singles ranking of world No. 2 during her era.
Reflecting on her achievements, Stubbs, in the recent episode of 'The Rennae Stubbs podcast,' spoke about Kuznetsova being in the Hall of Fame. Highlighting the latter's achievements, she questioned if being Russian cost her a spot at the International Hall of Fame alongside Roger Federer. (39:26 onwards)
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“More controversial is the fact that Svetlana Kuznetsova didn't get in. Like, what are we doing here? Are you guys voting on actual criteria? Because there are people in the Hall of Fame that won one Grand Slam, Michael Chang, Gabriella Sabatini. We've mentioned a few of them. Yeah. And it's not a slide on them because they were very important in their eras and very important with what they gave to tennis. But f***, come on. I mean, is it because she's Russian? Maybe," said Serena Williams' ex-coach.
She added:
"Only thing that I can think of because Svetlana Kuznetsova has won two major titles in singles, won multiple doubles Grand Slams, which should count. There are doubles players in the Hall of Fame. And won Fed Cup, Billie Jean Cup many times for Russia, was the stalwart of that team for years. And fairly certain she's won medals at the Olympics. I should look that up. Yes, she has. And you don't vote her into the Hall of Fame? What the fuck are we doing? Like, come on.”
Svetlana Kuznetsova retired from tennis in 2021 after competing at the Wimbledon Championships.
Serena Williams' ex-coach Rennae Stubbs opened up about the induction of Mary Carillo into the Hall of Fame
Former tennis player and commentator Mary Carillo has also been inducted into the 2026 Class of the International Hall of Fame. In the same podcast, Serena Williams' former coach, Rennae Stubbs, also shared her thoughts on Carillo's induction.
Revealing how ecstatic she got after getting the news about Carillo, she said: (via tennisuptodate)
"I saw the announcement today on Instagram from Katrina Adams, another great friend. I just happened to be scrolling, and the Hall of Fame’s post came up: Roger being announced by Kim Clijsters, blah blah blah. And then the next slide, Katrina Adams and Mary Carillo. And I was like, 'Oh my God.' I started to cry," Serena Williams' ex-coach said.
Serena Williams' former coach, Rennae Stubbs, retired from tennis in 2011 after competing at the US Open. She got inducted into the International Hall of Fame in the class of 2024.
