Novak Djokovic and Aryna Sabalenka’s “Bromance” Triggers Serena Williams’ Ex-Coach Into Throwing French Open Shade

The French Open has been a two-week fiasco alright! Starting off with an emotional tribute to the King of Clay, Rafael Nadal on May 25 to watching the American tennis players sour in the fourth round of the tournament, it’s certainly had its highlights. Not to mention, fans got a tasteful glimpse of the cheeky side of Novak Djokovic and Aryna Sabalenka as the two unintentionally started a dance off with each other! And that battle is still ongoing, but according to Rennae Stubbs, there’s another important issue that needs reminding!

So far, Sabalenka and Djokovic have been seen reposting each other’s post-match dance in the players’ walk. If you didn’t know, when the players exit the court, they walk down a flight of stairs that the tournament staff has made into their own dance floor by playing tunes for them. Sabalenka challenged Novak after he imitated her first walk, later earning a response by her dancing to her own song ‘Tiger’ and saying, “How about that, Nole?” which prompted a response from the Serb dancing to his song ‘Slam It Like Djokovic’ saying, “How about that Sabalenka!”

Now the official Roland Garros X plage shared a behind-the-scenes of Aryna in the player’s gym when she was greeted by Novak. The pair shared a hug and a conversation before he walked away. However, the caption on the tweet, “The bromance continues.” caught Stubbs’ eye! She wrote back, “Ahhh u you know what ‘bromance’ means, right? I mean if you played her at night that would make sense…”

Not only was she taking a dig at the use of the word “bromance” (which is slang for a profound, affectionate yet platonic bond between males) but also called out the issue of the French Open scheduling that has become a hot topic with a few WTA players!

Ahhh u you know what “bromance” means, right? I mean if you played her at night that would make sense…

— Rennae Stubbs (@rennaestubbs) June 6, 2025

Following Tunisia’s Ons Jabeur sparking the discussion, tournament director Amélie Mauresmo stood by the current system, highlighting the men’s best-of-five format as a key driver for television ratings. She stressed, “The message hasn’t changed, and it’s never been about the girls not deserving to play at night.” Additionally, players such as Coco Gauff have also contributed their voices to the ongoing debate.

Gauff has strongly criticized the French Open’s persistent pattern of favoring men’s matches for prime-time night slots, asserting that “women’s matches are worthy of a night spot” and produce “high-quality tennis” with “great stars.” She specifically argued against women playing after men’s matches due to late finishes and suggested that if only one night slot is available, it should be allocated to a women’s match.

Even Sabalenka opened up about the issue. While she’s currently set to face off Coco in the finals on Saturday, the Belarusian was quite taken back by the lack of crowds at Roland Garros due to the timings of the tournament.

Aryna Sabalenka talks about scheduling issues at the French Open

Following her quarterfinal against China’s Zheng Qinwen at 11 a.m. on Court Philippe-Chatrier, Sabalenka looked out at rows of empty seats in the 15,000-capacity stadium and couldn’t help but speak her mind. She said in her press conference, “It was a big match and probably would make more sense to put us a little bit later just so more people could watch it. I definitely think that would make more sense to kind of like move our match for a little bit later.” And she’s not alone in the thought!

Serena Williams’ former coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, shares the frustration. In a video posted June 3, he said, “It’s really shocking, and it’s really sad to be on Centre Court of Roland-Garros with some of the best players in the world and seeing 75, 80, sometimes 90 per cent empty, this is really shocking.” Mouratoglou called out the surreal sight of top-level tennis played before mostly empty seats.

He added, “One explanation that I heard — I don’t know if it’s true — is that French people are too attached to lunch from 12 to maybe four o’clock, it’s empty, and that’s a big problem.” The French Open schedules main draw matches in distinct day and night sessions, with day matches starting around noon and usually featuring three singles matches.

Sabalenka wants change. “There was a lot of … great battles, a lot of great matches which would be cool to see as night sessions,” she said. “Just more people in the stands watching these incredible battles. And just to show ourselves to more people. I definitely agree that we deserve to be put on a bigger stage. Like, better timing, more people watching.” She’s pushing for prime-time slots and bigger crowds.

Now Aryna Sabalenka will face Coco Gauff on Saturday, June 7. For the time being, the scheduling debate will likely wait until next year for any real change. On the other hand, will Novak and Sabalenka finally end their ongoing dance-off? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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