Now it’s official: Patrick Mouratoglou and Simona Halep will start working full-time from next week. The French coach’s announcement has once again opened the debate on Serena Williams’ future.
The American champion played her last game at Wimbledon last year when she was forced to retire 3-3 against Aliaksandra Sasnovich due to an injury to her right leg: “I appreciated the positive attention from the press, since I was used to all the other attention.
I have a beautiful daughter at home, but I still want to win titles and achieve success, but that’s no longer the reason I wake up in the morning. I learned to recover from a defeat, to defend what matters and what is right at all costs. When I found out I was pregnant two days before the 2017 Australian Open, my body had already change,” explained SerenaĀ in an interview with Elle magazine.
Mouratoglou: “I talked to Serena Williams and …”
Serena Williams and Patrick Mouratoglou have formed a winning partnership that has completely characterized the WTA Tour in recent years. However, the Frenchman needed a full-time job and a certain schedule.
Mouratoglou revealed to Tennis Majors: “Cahill told me that Simona was looking for a sparring partner who could help her both technically and tactically. I mentioned Arnaud Restifo, a member of my Academy, and Simona started training in our facilities after the Dubai tournament.
We worked together for a few days and then she asked me to be her coach. I told her I had to talk to Serena first, so I went to the States. Serena told me that she wouldn’t need me in the short term and so I went back to coach Simona. Simon is a great champion and has already had great successes, but I feel that she still has room for improvement and, above all, hunger for glory. Grand Slam.”