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Serena Williams' ex-coach Rennae Stubbs questions whether Jelena Ostapenko "knows what a double bounce is" and remarked that chair umpire Julie Kjendlie will probably have a hard time when she gets selected as the umpire for an Ostapenko match again.
World No. 12 Ostapenko had a stunning meltdown on Friday at the Brisbane International, calling chair umpire Kjendlie "blind" and telling her multiple times that she does not want her ever officiating her match since she always "ruins" her matches. The incident happened after Ostapenko thought that the ball bounced off the surface twice before Victoria Azarenka returned it late in the third set.
"You are blind, it is impossible to play when you make so many mistakes. I never want you at my match again, you will never be at my match. You ruin my matches," Ostapenko ranted at Kjendlie.
Stubbs: Does Ostapenko know what a double bounce actually is?
Stubbs, who worked with Williams during the American's farewell at the 2022 US Open, wasn't impressed with Ostapenko's latest antics.
"Umpire Julie Kjendlie must just look at her schedule when she gets Ostapenko and say 'oh bloody hell'… seriously does she know what a double bounce actually is?????" Stubbs wrote on X.
Umpire Julie Kjnedlie must just look at her schedule when she gets Ostapenko and say “oh bloody hell”… seriously does she know what a double bounce actually is????? 😂
— Rennae Stubbs 🇦🇺👍🏼 (@rennaestubbs) January 6, 2024
In the ninth game of the third set, Azarenka had an advantage on her serve when Ostapenko thought that the ball hit the surface twice and the point was automatically over. But Azarenka returned the ball to Ostapenko's court, and since chair umpire Kjendlie didn't make any calls, the Belarusian won the point and took a 5-4 lead.
In the game after the incident, Ostapenko managed to hold on to her serve despite being 0-30 down early in the game. But Ostapenko still lost the match after Azarenka served out the 11th game and then broke the Latvian in the following game to complete a three-set win.