"Blah blah blah while she’s crying in her towel 1 min after she lost" - Rennae Stubbs slams Madrid Open staff after Andreeva hounded instantly after defeat

Mirra Andreeva was a devastated and emotional figure after losing the Madrid Open final against Marta Kostyuk. She was struggling to stomach the painful defeat right after with the presentation organisation firmly underway. Six-time doubles Grand Slam champion Rennae Stubbs came to the defence of the tearful Andreeva who was almost instantly hounded by a staff member.

The 19-year-old had recently celebrated her birthday by reaching the final of a third WTA 1000 final, showing the potential and class she possesses on court. She overcame everyone in her way while avoiding any upset results that other big seeds were on the end of.

It would not be an easy final. Kostyuk was yet to lose on clay in 2026, and this would continue after the Ukrainian took down her opponent 6-3, 7-5 in a brilliant performance that earns her a maiden WTA 1000 title and a new career high ranking of 15th.

For Andreeva, it was too much to take. As someone who admitted that losing was like the 'end of the world,' she was hoping to forget it and move onto bigger things, with the Rome Open the next tournament up with Roland Garros also just around the corner.

Ahead of the trophy presentation, Stubbs stood up for Andreeva on X, calling for the staff in Madrid to give the Russian some space after a tough loss, having been bombarded with countless amount of information. “The WTA comms person going up to Mirra and trying to tell her stuff about the presentation and blah blah blah while she’s crying in her towel 1 min after she lost! Omg honey, please give her a minute! My god!”

She continued to rant about it while replaying to some comments. One user indicated that players should be given three minutes at least before being told what is next. The Aussie agreed. "We all know the presentation in Madrid takes 30 min to get organised. Like take a beat and chill out and let the woman have her time. Geez"

In her speech, Andreeva sportingly acknowledged her opponent along with the tournaments, sponsors and fans. When she started talking about her team, the emotions flooded out.

"First, thanks to my team for always being there for me," she said before bursting out into tears while the fans offered their support. "I’m sorry… I promised myself I wasn’t going to cry," she stated. "I’m just not going to look at you because it’s easier like this.

"Thank you to my team for always being there, supporting me at all times—when it’s easy and when it’s hard. I know it’s sometimes not easy to work with me, but I really appreciate all of your support and everything that you do for me. Thank you so much."

Her time in Madrid is still not over yet. She will partner up again with Diana Shnaider with the hope of lifting the doubles title against number two seeds Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend.