“Serena Williams said, ‘I was terrible’” – Ex-coach Patrick Mouratoglou reveals how he once ‘lied’ to American & why it was important

Serena Williams and Patrick Mouratoglou at the French Open Tennis. Roland-Garros 2020. – (Source: Getty)

Serena Williams’ former coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, revealed that he once misinformed the tennis star, but it ultimately helped her regain confidence in her gameplay at the net and crowned her the Wimbledon queen. Williams trained with Mouratoglou from 2012 to 2022, a period that witnessed the American rack up multiple Grand Slams and tour-level wins.

Williams joined Mouratoglou after her first-round loss to Virginie Razzano at the 2012 French Open, one of the most shocking losses of her career. The already top-tier player began training with him in June, and in her very next Grand Slam outing in London, she won the title, cementing her status as one of the most formidable players in tennis. Over the years, the coach–player duo won 10 Grand Slam titles together.

Mouratoglou, known for training several up-and-coming players, had adopted a different tactic for the legendary Serena Williams, who was not doing very well at the net. In a recent conversation, he recalled one of their outings at Wimbledon when he lied to the 23-time Grand Slam champion to help her believe in herself, and she turned that belief into reality, gaining more points by playing at the net and ultimately winning the title.

“Serena, I don’t remember which year she played with Wimbledon and she was missing all the volleys at the start of the tournament and because she was missing at the net, she was scared to move inside the court and I mean, it’s automatic when you miss at the net, you’re not fast enough to go take it and hit a winner and I thought, oh, if she continues to play like this, we’re in trouble. So after the match, I remember she was backing and we always talk after the match and I said to her, ‘When I see a short ball, I’m so comfortable, I sleep on my two ears.’ Why you say that? ‘I said because you win 80% of the points at the net’, which was not true.”

He added:

“‘I thought I was terrible at the net,’ that’s what she told me. ‘I thought I was terrible’. She started to play without any fear forward because she believed it, she started to be really efficient and she won 80% of the points at the net until the end of the tournament and she won Wimbledon. This thing that was not true, happened to be true. I believe a lot in that.”

Williams retired after her third-round exit from the 2022 US Open, losing to Ajla Tomljanović in her final match.

Serena Williams and Patrick Mouratoglou’s partnership was for the record books

Serena Williams and Mouratoglou at the Championships – Wimbledon 2019 – (Source: Getty)

Serena Williams and Patrick Mouratoglou forged one of the most successful coach-trainee partnerships in tennis. They won Wimbledon titles in 2012, 2015 and 2016, US Open titles in three straight years, 2012, 2013 and 2014, French Open in 2013 and 2015 and Australian Open in 2015 and 2017. Under her coach’s tutelage, Williams regained the top ranking, achieved a 31-match winning streak and also won golds in singles and doubles at the 2012 London Games.

Now retired, Serena Williams established herself as a successful businesswoman, acquiring ownership in sporting leagues and advocating for women in sports. She also heads Serena Ventures, her signature clothing line and plays an equally important role at home as the wife of Alexis Ohanian and mother of Olympia and Adira.