PHOTO:Former world number one, Serena Williams and coach targets 30 grand slam after a 'very bad season'
According to an interview granted to CNN, the former tennis number one,
and 23 grand slam winner, Serena Williams has hinted she hopes to win more
grand slams and her coach is in support of this...
Remarkably, the
American tennis star has been set a target of 30 career singles grand slams.
"I know people
are going to be very much focused on the 23rd (grand slam), I'm more focused on
the 30th," Patrick Mouratoglou, who has been coaching Williams since 2012,
told CNN at the unveiling of his new tennis academy on the French Riviera.
"Why not set
up a record that will never be beaten in history?" he asked. "I think
she can do it."
Having lost her No.
1 ranking with this month's semifinal defeat at the US Open after a
record-equaling 186-week reign, Williams is looking at the long term rather
than seeking to overhaul Angelique Kerber and end the year in top spot for the
fourth year in a row.
Instead, Williams'
formidable tennis legacy will be far greater served by eclipsing Margaret
Court's record of 24 grand slam singles titles, he added. She is tied with
Steffi Graf for second place at 22, the most in the Open Era of professional
tennis.
"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
added.
'A very bad season'
With Serena also
telling CNN at the academy launch she is "tired of playing
unhealthy," it raises the possibility that she could skip the WTA Tour's
Asian swing and season finale in order to recover from her injuries -- as she
did last year -- but does have her down for three more events this year.
"The good idea
with Serena is to organize everything so she has the best chances to win as
many grand slams as she can," Mouratoglou explained.
"That's the
only goal. If we try to follow too many goals at the same time, we might fail
everywhere, so let's focus on the most important."
Williams has
suffered what Mouratoglou calls "a very bad season," despite claiming
her seventh Wimbledon title in July.
The Los
Angeles-native hit her low at the Rio Olympics, losing in a shocking
first-round upset with sister Venus in doubles, and bowing out in the third
round of the singles.
Trouble began with
her withdrawal from the Hopman Cup in January with an inflamed knee, while she
retired from the Rogers Cup in July with shoulder inflammation. The same injury
pulled her out of the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati in August.
New beginnings
If anyone can
rejuvenate Williams' career, it's the 46-year-old coach of Greek and French
extraction. Nine of her 22 grand slam wins have been achieved since she began
working with Mouratoglou -- the first instructor to take the reins from outside
of her family.
At the time,
Williams was coming off her most disappointing grand slam result since turning
pro: A 2012 first-round French Open knockout at Roland Garros.
"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.
"I met Patrick
... and I liked what he said, and the kind of the things he did," she
added.
"And before I knew it, it was 'Well do you want to come with me to
Wimbledon?' And 'Do you want to come with me to the Olympics?' It was really
organic how it worked out.
"We had a long
discussion about how he worked, and I had a discussion about how I worked, and
we were able to meet in the middle."
Serena's domination
With Mouratoglou's
backing, Williams bounced back from her French Open flop in 2012 to win
Wimbledon and an Olympic gold in successive months, and would go on to play the
most dominant tennis of her career.
But their
relationship wasn't smooth sailing from the get-go, and Williams took time to
gel with her new coach.
"With me,
there are rules to respect," he wrote. "One, when you arrive in the
morning, you say hello. Two, when I speak to you, you look at me and you
answer.
"It was a key
moment because I established a relationship where I had authority and there was
respect. I think that was indispensable."
They now have a
calm working partnership, Mouratoglou says.
"I'm not a
great fan of shouting," he told CNN. "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."
Coaching philosophy
Mouratoglou's
philosophy with his most famous pupil also translates to his tennis academy,
now located just outside of Nice on a sprawling campus that features 34 tennis
courts.
To meet the needs
of 150 youth members who live there full-time, the facility also boasts 85
bedrooms, 15 classrooms and a library.
Grades are taken
seriously, and the academy -- previously based in Paris -- sends more than 60
players to US universities on scholarships every year.
All of that can
make other coaches jealous, Mouratoglou admits.
"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.
"She was a
champion, (and now) she's a legend."
Source:cnn.com
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