"Every night after competition, Serena Williams was watching YouTube videos" - Ex-coach reveals what makes American legend special
Tennis coach Patrick Mouratoglou has showered praise on Serena Williams, Roger Federer, and his pupil Holger Rune for the sheer passion that they possess for tennis.
Williams, the 23-time Grand Slam champion, was arguably the best player ever to hold a racquet on the women's circuit. She made her debut in October 1995 and impacted the tennis world like no other player. Her last professional match came in the third round of the 2022 US Open.
Mouratoglou, the current coach of Denmark's Rune, has worked with Williams for over eight years. He recently shared a video on social media and laid emphasis on the need for passion in tennis.
"I think that without passion, there is no way anyone can do anything great. Passion is obsession," Mouratoglou said. "It's being completely driven by something. The champions are totally filled with their passions. They think of it day and night. They play a lot. They practice a lot."
"If you look at the greatest we've had, I know that Roger, being No. 1 in the world, was even watching challenger tournaments. It's insane, the passion for the sport that those people have," he stated.
The French coach revealed a similarity between Serena Williams and Rune, saying that both of them would watch tennis videos on YouTube after their practice sessions.
"Of course, Serena, who I know the most, every night after competition, was watching YouTube videos, something that Holger Rune also does. Whenever he leaves a tennis court, the first thing he does is watch tennis videos," Mouratoglou added.
Mouratoglou suggested that Stefanos Tsitsipas was wrong in calling Rune "too passionate" since he believed that passion was necessary to become a champion.
"I know that Stefanos [Tsitsipas] said that he was a bit worried for Holger, thinking that he might burn out because he’s too passionate about tennis. There is always a risk of burnout. On the other hand, if you're not passionate, you're not going to burn out, but you're not going to be a champion," he concluded.
Serena Williams and Roger Federer are missed at the Australian Open 2023, says John McEnroe
Former player John McEnroe recently stated that Serena Williams and Roger Federer were being missed at the 2023 Australian Open, which is the first Grand Slam tournament since their retirement. While Williams bid adieu at the 2022 US Open last September, Federer played his last match at the 2022 Laver Cup.
"You miss these GOATs, the greatest of all time," McEnroe said. "Class act, Roger Federer. Serena Williams, people look at tennis in a different way after all that she has accomplished. So of course, they are missed. How can you possibly gauge how much they are missed? We don't even know. It's a question we don't know the answer to."