"If Emma Raducanu was my daughter, I wouldn't advise that" - Serena Williams' ex-coach Patrick Mouratoglou disapproves of Brit's coach carousel
Serena Williams' former coach Patrick Mouratoglou is of the opinion that Emma Raducanu should find stability in her tennis with a long-term coach, instead of constantly shuffling between coaches for short periods of time.
Raducanu's turnover rate in coaches has been the talk of the tennis world for a while now. The Brit has split with six coaches in the last two years, including the coach who led her to her maiden Grand Slam title at the 2021 US Open.
Speaking to Eurosport, Mourtaoglou asserted that it was important for a player to have stability in their team, which he does not believe can happen without a long coaching partnership. The Frenchman even claimed that if he were Raducanu's father, he would advise her against changing coaches so often.
“If [Emma Raducanu] was my daughter, I wouldn't advise to do that, because you need stability to build something, whatever it is," Mouratoglou said. "And even more in tennis, I think it's very important to have a project for your tennis and to follow day after day, the road to achieve what your project, your tennis project is."
“So whenever there are changes in terms of coaches, there are the project changes," he added. "So you cannot build something. And also you need stability. The tour is the most unstable thing on the planet. Everything changes every week. It's pretty tough emotionally to handle all those changes."
Patrick Mouratoglou expressed hope that the 21-year-old would find someone she trusts soon, and that she would keep them long enough as a coach to achieve something significant. He also emphasized that there was no question about a dearth of talent in Raducanu.
Mouratoglou, in fact, believes that the inconsistency in Raducanu's results and her injury-riddled time on the tour in recent times are a direct result of the constant changing of coaches.
"So if you have changes also with your team, then it's too much. So I wish for her that she finds someone that she trusts enough to be able to keep the team for long enough to achieve something, because the potential we know she has, she's proven it by winning a Grand Slam," Mouratoglou said.
"But since this happened, nothing has been consistent. I think the results and the injuries are the consequence of this instability that she has had within her team,” he added.
"One of the keys to success is to have one voice that you believe in" - Patrick Mouratoglou on Emma Raducanu's coaching setup
Patrick Mouratoglou further highlighted the need to have a clear voice in the team, which he reckons is one of the main keys to success. Mouratoglou is afraid that Emma Raducanu might become a player who goes "zigzag" all the time instead of going from strength to strength, as she should.
"At the end, you don't know what to do. You have different voices. I believe, this is my opinion, but I believe that one of the keys to success is to have one voice that you believe in, one project and to go straight from A to B," he said.
“Otherwise, you're going zigzag all the time and you, again, the more voices, the more ideas, the more lost you are as a player. It's very complex. It's very difficult to be a tennis player and you need clarity. That's the most important thing. And when there are many voices, there is no clarity at all,” Mouratoglou added.
After missing most of the 2023 season due to injuries in her wrists and ankle, Emma Raducanu will be in action again next year, starting at the ASB Classic in Auckland.