The 45-year-old American was handed another wildcard for the clay court competition in the Spanish capital. She was not able to take advantage of it, losing 6-2, 6-4 to Kaitlin Quevedo in the opening round of the competition. Williams is yet to win a singles match in 2026 and has not progressed past the first round of an event since the 2025 Cincinnati Masters, when she overcame Peyton Stearns 6-3, 6-4. Her lack of form on the court has prompted many fans to suggest she should not be given any more wildcards in the sport.
Many have claimed Williams is taking a spot which could go to another young player, who could then use the wildcard to potentially have a career-changing run in a tournament. However, Stubbs, who boasts two Wimbledon doubles titles in 2001 and 2004, believes Williams has earned the right to compete wherever she likes, providing a competition is happy to give her a wildcard.
Speaking on social media, Stubbs wrote: “100% disagree. She’s earned the right to play whenever she wants, wherever she is asked & given that opportunity. Younger players can play smaller events and earn their way on the tour if they are good enough. If you think one chance is making or breaking a player, you dont get the tour.”
When asked by another fan is she believes Williams should still be given wildcards, Stubbs replied: “Thats not up to me to decide, it’s up the the tournament director, sponsors and Venus. You think she likes it? At some point she will retire and never play again, until then, its up to her and those that give it to her.”
After Williams lost to Francesca Jones at the Miami Open, former World No. 1 Yevgeny Kafelnikov told the ‘Hard Court’ podcast the former World No. 1 should not be given any more wildcards. He said: “Have you read Dmitry Tursunov’s telegram?
“After another Venus Williams defeat, he said, I have incredible respect for Venus Williams’ achievements. Multiple Grand Slam singles champion, world number one, but it’s time.
“The wildcard into the main draw would be useful for many girls. The same way Maria Sharapova received one in her time. This wildcard could have been used more productively, and I, in principle, completely agree with him.”
After her loss in Madrid, Williams said she will not be competing in Rome, saying: “Yeah, I mean, to get my feet dirty, this was a great start. I’m not able to play Rome, I have other commitments, unfortunately, so I’m really super sad about that, actually. My husband is Italian, so we feel sad that we can’t be there. So we would love to keep it going on the clay”