Patrick Mouratoglou: ‘serena And I Had A Few Fights About Her Weight’

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Patrick Mouratoglou was notably absent from this year’s US Open. Since his breakout advising Marcos Baghdatis, who he guided to nan Australian Open last successful 2006, Mouratoglou has distinguished himself arsenic a tennis guru – pinch pros and prospects making nan visit to his academy connected nan French Riviera. But it was his business pinch Serena Williams, who won 10 of her 23 expansive slam singles titles after pairing pinch nan Frenchman, that helped cement Mouratoglou arsenic a coaching great.

In betwixt touring clients astatine nan moment, Mouratoglou caught up pinch maine adjacent nan extremity of nan US Open to talk astir Naomi Osaka’s resurgence, Williams’s weight nonaccomplishment and what it will return to break Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner’s duopoly successful nan men’s game.

Why was nan business pinch Serena truthful successful? What was it that nan 2 of you were capable to bring retired of each different that took her already unthinkable tennis to its highest ever level?

Big spot connected some sides – like, really, full trust. We were feeding each different successful position of motivation. I [knew] her perfectly, really to push her, motivate her, provoke her to beryllium much competitive. We sewage started during a difficult period. She hadn’t won a expansive slam for 2 years and suffered a first-round nonaccomplishment successful a slam for nan first clip successful her profession [to Virginie Razzano at nan 2012 French Open]. When thing for illustration this happens, moreover nan champion competitors they commencement to deliberation a spot otherwise – and that hurts their value erstwhile they compete.

Roland Garros was nan astir difficult tourney for her, and astatine that constituent she had only won it once, successful 2002. [At nan commencement of] 2013, aft we sewage her backmost to No 1 successful nan world, she told me, “I really want to triumph it again. Can you make a scheme for me?” So we did immoderate things that possibly sound a spot crazy. Going into Madrid, our tune-up for Roland Garros, I told her: “If you want to triumph this tournament, you person to do it serving only 2nd serves, because I don’t want you getting immoderate free points.” It forced her to activity each constituent from nan first to nan past match, and gave her truthful overmuch assurance astir playing connected clay [Williams posted a 28-0 clay tribunal grounds that year]. Those are nan types of challenges that Serena would emotion because she was really winning a batch already.

Recently, Serena has been connected a US media blitz to beforehand a weight-loss drug and drawn disapproval for undercutting her diversion achievements, overmuch little nan virtues of fare and exercise. In 1 interview, she said that you being difficult connected her astir her weight factored into her determination to return a aesculapian way to weight loss. How do you retrieve it?

Oh I retrieve it very well. It was aft nan gestation – not right after; I cognize these things return time. I told her: “Listen, this is not a remark connected really you look. It’s not my problem.” But tennis is simply a athletics successful which you can’t spend to beryllium overweight. First of all, nan unit connected your joints and everything is truthful large that your chances go overmuch higher. The 2nd point is it’s a athletics successful which you alteration directions each nan clip and pinch a batch of speed. Even 1 kilo overweight is simply a lot. When you spell afloat velocity successful 1 guidance pinch 1 kilo other and past request to extremity and travel back, nan clip that you suffer is really important. Just look astatine nan champion players successful nan world – Alcaraz, Sinner, Djokovic. Think astir their movement. The weight was affecting her movement.

In Serena’s case, she was older – truthful of people nan assemblage is not going to bounce backmost nan aforesaid arsenic before, and nan consequence of wounded is moreover bigger. We had a fewer fights astir it. I retrieve she did not for illustration erstwhile I said that because she thought I was judging her. But I kept telling her, I don’t attraction astir your look. It’s not my job. My occupation is your tennis. If you want to travel backmost to nan apical and make history, past we person to beryllium very businesslike connected each level – including this one, which for maine was nan cardinal element.

So now that she’s mislaid each this weight, are you like, Well, I wish she had done this five, six years ago?

I’m not nan type of feline who’s looking backmost and having regrets. But, yeah, if she would person been successful this position physically, nan results would person been better.

Sinner and Alcaraz look for illustration they’re connected a different level from nan remainder of nan men’s tour. If you were coaching a feline successful nan tier beneath them, really would you get them to judge they could really hit Alcaraz aliases Sinner successful a slam final?

It’s funny that you’re saying that. When Rafa and Roger were astatine nan apical of nan game, it was precisely nan aforesaid business – nan [next] 8 players each saying it’s intolerable to triumph a expansive slam pinch those 2 guys. When you speak astir nan procreation of French players who were apical 10 – Gaël Monfils, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Richard Gasquet – they were each saying it. But past a young Novak Djokovic came successful and said: “I’m going to hit those guys and beryllium No 1.” And everyone laughed and said: “Who’s this cocky guy?” But he ended up doing it and becoming nan top of each time.

So, yes, for nan infinitesimal Alcaraz and Sinner are connected a different satellite for sure. But your mobility makes a batch of consciousness because nan feline who’s going to beryllium successful nan operation pinch these two, if location is one, is nan only feline who’s going to judge it’s possible. Actually, erstwhile I question and reply young players, that’s what I’m trying to fig out. When you perceive to them, they each say: “I want to beryllium No 1 successful nan world.” But my first mobility is always: What’s your plan? I request to know: How overmuch do you believe?

I retrieve erstwhile I did my question and reply pinch Coco Gauff erstwhile she first came to my academy astatine property 10, and leaving my agency reasoning her thrust and self-belief was unbelievable for personification truthful young. And you spot wherever she is now.

Speaking of talented players, nan tennis world had precocious hopes for your coaching business pinch Naomi Osaka. Why did it extremity aft 10 months?

The results weren’t bully enough, which wholly made sense. I deliberation we did a batch of bully things but, astatine slightest from a coaching standpoint, nan 1 point that you don’t maestro tin ruin nan full thing. I deliberation she improved truthful much, I was seeing it connected a regular basis. And her mindset was great. But she was not performing good capable during nan matches, truthful that was nan 1 portion that was ruining nan full thing.

Looking back, I didn’t do a bully capable job, different nan results would person been there. I besides deliberation that having maine arsenic a coach was a spot dense for her, successful regards to what I did pinch Serena for galore years. She mentioned it a fewer times actually, moreover publically – and I didn’t find a measurement to return that unit away. I deliberation possibly that’s why she wasn’t performing. As soon arsenic I was not successful nan loop, she felt astir apt lighter. By not having that pressure, she could definitive her tennis much freely. But location are nary difficult feelings. She’s a awesome competitor.

She whitethorn person fallen short of winning a 3rd US Open, but she does person a batch to beryllium proud of for making it arsenic acold arsenic she did. What did you make of her tourney and prospects going forward?

First of all, you person to speak astir what Naomi did successful nan past 2 tournaments. She was besides successful nan finals astatine Montreal, and that was a very adjacent lucifer that could’ve gone her way. I deliberation she’s backmost to playing astatine an highly precocious level and nan capacity she showed successful these past 2 tournaments are rather clear. So that’s awesome news. I’m not amazed astatine each because I cognize really overmuch effort she put in. When we split, I told her supplier she was 100% fresh – which I felt because her believe level was accordant and highly high. She needed these breakthroughs, which she had rather fast, to astir apt recognize that she was capable to play pinch nan champion and hit them. For women’s tennis to person Naomi backmost successful nan operation is amazing. She’s 1 of nan astir iconic players of nan past 5 years.