Patrick Mouratoglou, coach of 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams, believes her comeback following the birth of her daughter Alexis Olympia will be the biggest test of the American legend’s career.
Mouratoglou has guided Serena to 10 Major titles since joining the now 36-year-old superstar as her full-time coach in 2012. The 47-year-old celebrated coach spoke to the WTA’s official website, where he claimed that in spite of the challenge Serena’s return poses, he is confident she will be back at her best by the time Roland Garros gets underway in Paris in late May.
Asked if Serena’s upcoming comeback could be the toughest challenge of her career, Mouratoglou said: “It probably is. She is known for her comebacks, the last of which took place in 2012. Recovering from a surgery, then from a blood clot, going two years without winning a Grand Slam, she finally comes back at 30 years old to win 10 more Grand Slams and to stay No.1 in the world for three-and-a-half years – her longest period of dominance.”
“Now she is 36, just had a child, a second blood clot, has gone more than a year without any competition. I think we can say without a doubt that this is her biggest challenge.”
“With Serena, it is always difficult not to expect her to win the tournament. But clearly we are in a very special situation at the moment. She hasn’t played a match for more than a year, she has had a baby with a lot of complications post-delivery. The plan is to get back to her best level. She has been practicing hard for that, and competition is part of the process. She needs more than anything to compete and that is why she will plan to play Indian Wells and Miami.”
“We do not know how much time she will need to get her best level back, and I think that we should give her the necessary time for that without having too much expectations at the start.”
“I think she will be ready for Roland Garros. The competitions she will play until then will help her and every day she progresses on her fitness.”
