Serena Williams plays a forehand as her coach Patrick Mouratoglou looks on during a practice session ahead of the 2017 Australian Open (zimbio.com).
Age might not be on the side of Serena Williams, but she is far from planning her retirement according to her coach Patrick Mouratoglou.
The 46-year-old believes Williams still has the ability to set new records in the world of tennis. Williams’ latest milestone occurred at the Australian Open when she defeated sister Venus in the final. The triumph rewarded the world No.1 her 23rd grand slam title, the second highest ever achieved by a tennis player. She is now only one major title away from equalling Margaret Court’s all-time record of 24.
”This 2017 Australian Open will always remain special because she beat Steffi Graf’s record of 22 Grand Slams, which was the Open Era record. Serena went through an incredible amount of pressure from all sides before winning this title since her US Open defeat.” Mouratoglou said during an interview with Tennis Connected.
“More than anything, winning 23 Grand Slam titles is an incredible achievement.”
In recent years, the 35-year-old has been troubled by injury as she tries to continue her dominance on the women’s tour. During last year’s French Open, she was hindered by an abductor problem. Then throughout the second half of 2016, a right shoulder problem resulted in Williams ending her season early.
Eager to not repeat the misfortunes of 2016, coach Mouratoglou hopes a ‘lighter’ schedule will help maintain the health of his player.
“We decided to make a light schedule this year and put more effort on fitness and medical preparations. Last year she was injured too often. We want Serena to be well prepared when she starts a competition and be able to be at the top of her form for the most important events of the year.” He said.
With no indication of when Williams will hang up her racket, the future remains an intriguing one. Not even her coach knows what will happen in the future. Reclaiming the world No.1 position following her win in Melbourne last month, there is still time left for the American to smash more records and set new benchmarks.
“I believe Serena can go higher, and set new records. Nobody knows how far she can go, but I believe she is not done. I believe she can win more. Let’s see how far she can go.” Her French coach said.
Williams will return to action next month at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells. She will be bidding to win her first title at the event since ending her boycott. Williams took a lengthy hiatus from the tournament (2002-2014) after claims that she and Venus were recipients of poor treatment from the crowd, including racial slurs.
Five records Serena Williams is yet to break
Most weeks as world No.1 – Steffi Graf (377 weeks)
Most year end titles – Martina Navratilova (8)
Most grand slam final appearances – Chris Evert (34)
Most Grand Slam Appearance – Venus Williams (73)
Longest winning streak on the WTA Tour – Martina Navratilova (84 matches)