"Taught Serena Williams to think like Serena Williams again" - Patrick Mouratoglou recalls helping American overcome a heartbreaking Grand Slam defeat
Patrick Mouratoglou and Serena Williams had a long and successful partnership, during which the latter clinched multiple Grand Slam titles and cemented herself atop the WTA rankings ladder.
There was, however, as per Moratoglou's own admission, a brief period where he felt that Williams had lost touch with her true self.
Reflecting on the same in a recent interview with renowned speaker and entrepreneur David Laroche, Mouratoglou said that he had to teach the 23-time Grand Slam winner to think like herself again after the 2016 US Open — where she had lost to Roberta Vinci in the semifinal.
The Frenchman said the loss had a huge impact on Williams and the effect trickled over to her performance in the subsequent months.
"I taught Serena Williams to think like Serena again," Mouratoglou said. "She had forgotten that. So, she loses the US Open semifinal against Roberta Vinci and it had a huge impact on her. Even though it is one defeat after four Grand Slams won in a row, and she was in the semifinal of the fifth."
"Then, she is in the Roland Garros final, playing extremely badly and the previous losses are still having an impact," he added. "She can make it to the final as she has the tennis and physical qualities, but to win a final requires a specific headspace. Serena didn't have it"
Recalling his pep ahead of the 2016 Roland Garros final, Mouratoglou said he sat Williams down and made her reflect on her improbable tennis journey in a bid to remind her of the strengths she possessed.
"So, I had to connect her to herself," Mouratoglou said."I'll never forget the 30 minutes before Roland Garros final... I said to her 'You have forgotten who are, I need to remind you so sit down. I'm going to tell you your story.'"
"I tell her about her life," he continued. "To make her realize how strong she is and how everything always depends on her. I don't use those exact words, But I tell her in a way thar will resonate with her."
Patrick Mouratoglou recalls predicting Serena Williams' 2016 Wimbledon win
Patrick Mouratoglou also recalled predicting Serena Williams' triumph at the 2016 Wimbledon Championships, saying he knew his charge would capture the title based on his interaction with her after her defeat in the Roland Garros final that year.
The Frenchman said that Williams' reaction following defeat to Garbine Muguruza in Paris cemented his belief that she was back to her old self.
"I say to myself, 'That's it, I've won, she's going to into that court and smash it.' And she loses. Honestly, I'm really surprised, I feel like I've lost. As I always take credit for the wins and the losses and here I failed," he said.
"However, the next day she call me and we speak," he continued. I hang up and say to the academy director who I was with, 'Serena is Back. This is it. She's going to win Wimbledon. That's for sure'. And she wins Wimbledon, no surprises. She had reconnected with herself."