Serena's coach sets a target of 30 Grand Slams
Despite winning 22 Grand Slams in her illustrious career, Serena Williams' coach Patrick Mouratoglou wants her to push for more titles. The coach has also said that he does not want his pupil to concentrate on the World No.1 ranking and said it would eventually come to her in the near future.
"I know people are going to be very much focused on the 23rd (grand slam), I'm more focused on the 30th," said Patrick Mouratoglou, on Thursday.
Mouratoglou, who has been coaching Serena since 2012, is hopeful that she can topple the record of 24 Grand Slams set by Margaret Court.
"Why not set up a record that will never be beaten in history?" he asked. "I think she can do it."
After 186-week run at the top of women's singles rankings, Serena lost her No. 1 ranking with this month's semifinal defeat at the US Open at the hands of Karolina Pliskova. But her coach is not worried about the ranking as he feels that Williams will eventually find herself at the top once again.
"We're not going to run after that because it would be a bad idea. We decided to let go that No. 1 spot for the moment. Maybe she'll get it back but we shouldn't focus on that -- we focus on the grand slams," Mouratoglou told CNN on the sidelines of the opening of his new tennis academy at French Riviera.
Serena who was also present at the event said that the defeat in French Open 2012 had prompted her to partner up with Mouratoglou.
"I wasn't really thinking of having Patrick as my coach," Williams told CNN. "I had just had an early exit at a grand slam, and I didn't really want to go home. I just wanted to train and get better.
With Mouratoglou's as her coach, Williams bounced back from her French Open flop in 2012 to win Wimbledon and an Olympic gold in successive months.
After enduring a rough patch at the beginning of his coaching stint with the American, Mouratoglou says they now have a calm working partnership.
"I'm not a great fan of shouting," he said. "Sometimes I've done that, but it's just for short-term results. We never get angry with each other. If we are, we can talk and sort it out."
Mouratoglou said that his aim is to help youngsters realize their dreams just like he did with Serena.
"I'm working incredibly hard because I love it," he said. "My job is to work with kids, help them achieve their dreams, help them reach their full potential. I do the same with Serena. If you look at the Serena with 13 grand slams and the Serena with 22, she's a different person.”
0
0
0
0
0
0
Comments
Sign up or log in to your account to leave comments and reactions
0 Comments