Serena Williams and Mouratoglou Make A Great Team

Written by: Resendiz on 26th October 2012

WTA Championships: Serena Williams - Angelique Kerber

Serena Williams and Mouratoglou Make A Great Team

epa03443917 Serena Williams of the US returns the ball to Angelique Kerber of Germany during their match at the round-robin stage of the WTA Championships tennis tournament in Istanbul, Turkey, 23 October 2012. EPA/TOLGA BOZOGLU |

Frenchman Patrick Mouratoglou is apparently the man who has restored a lust for victory into the mind of Serena Williams who is now the firm favorite to win the TEB BNP Paribas WTA Championships title for a third time after completing the round robin stage of competition in Istanbul undefeated.

Serena turned to Mouratoglou after her surprise defeat to Virginie Razzano in the French Open first round six months ago and since then the 31 year-old has been on a roll, winning Wimbledon, the Olympic gold medals at singles and doubles and the US Open.

Rumors abound the pair are also a romantic item, although there has been no official confirmation or denial. However they have been pictured together off court and Serena has repeatedly insisted she is smiling inside.

Mouratoglou will only talk tennis but said: “When I see the happiness she has from winning these titles, [Wimbledon, the Olympic Games and the US Open since he became part of her team] I take it really emotionally.

“This is strong too. She is capable of doing what no one can do and we have seen that so many times in her career. You have to expect the unexpected with her. I cannot be surprised.”

Williams and Mouratoglou came together because he coached the young Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov who was a friend of hers. “I have known her for so long; not personally, but I have watched her play many times,” said Mouratoglou.

“There was always the feeling of being such a strong personality and unbelievable competitor and I have learnt that this is exactly what she is.”

Serena went to work at the Mouratoglou Academy outside of Paris immediately after the French Open and prepared for Wimbledon there rather than returning home to the United States.

“Emotionally I was going through a lot and I guess I couldn’t pull myself together at the French,” she said. “I really tried, but I put too much pressure on myself. I had been playing so well and expected to win that tournament. I wanted to do great things and it all went down. Whenever I lose I hate it. I hate losing more than I like winning.

“It was an impulse thing. I didn’t want to go home. I had a flight and I sent a BBM to Patrick asking are there any courts in Paris I can work on and he said, ‘Come to the academy.’ But I said, ‘It’s a bit far, I don’t want to go.’ He said, ‘We will figure something out.’ And I just decided to cancel the flight and went and trained there.

“It’s funny how one little thing can change everything. I was packed and I was in that ‘I want to go, I don’t want to go’ dilemma and one little BBM text totally changed my path.”

©Daily tennis News Wire

Topics: Patrick Mouratoglou, Serena Williams, Sports, TEB BNP Paribas WTA Championships, Tennis News, Turkish tennis news