Patrick Mouratoglou, the coach of 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams, has revealed the big reason behind the American’s decision to pull out of the upcoming Australian Open.
Mouratoglou claimed Serena had some issues after the birth of her daughter Alexis Olympia and those complications delayed the former World No. 1’s training and practice for two months. And that’s why the reigning Australian Open champion never felt ready to compete at the Open in Melbourne.
“It’s never an easy decision to skip a Grand Slam, I guess for any professional, and for sure for Serena,” Mouratoglou told ESPN.com. “But I would rather say it is a wise decision. It’s not an easy decision, but it’s the best, wise one.
“The thing is, when she gave birth, things didn’t go as smooth as she expected. She had some complications — I mean, the baby was perfect, but she had some issues afterwards — and these medical issues delayed the moment that she could come back to practice.”
“I could see that those two months were missing. Those two months she could not practice after giving birth. So, I knew she was late, but with her, you never know, so we did the job, and then her idea was to do one match and see exactly where she was. But it was no surprise for me [that she was not ready].”
“She always thinks she can find a way, even when she’s not ready, so it’s always difficult for me to convince her not to compete,” Mouratoglou said. “So I thought it was a good idea for her to play a match and see exactly where she was and see if she felt like going to the Australian Open, and being not prepared the way she usually is.”
“It is better to take a bit more time, and when you come back to the competition, you are ready to be yourself — win or lose is another thing — but at least be yourself and be at the top of what you can do.”
“Your life changes, but the athlete, the competitor, is the same, exactly the same,” he said. “I didn’t see any difference. She thinks the same way, she acts the same and for those who were wondering. … I can tell that she didn’t change, when it comes to business, her tennis — she is exactly the same person. I am not worrying at all.”
“Whatever happened [on the tour] in her absence, if she comes back, it is to win. So she will come back to win. Will she do it or not? Only [time] will tell, but she comes back to win.”
