Serena has time on her side
SERENA Williams is still chasing the elusive 24th Grand Slam title to tie Margaret Court’s record. And her coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, doesn’t seem worried about the No. 9 ranked player and believes it’s just a matter of time.
Williams again made a Grand Slam final and again lost it this month at the U.S. Open. Canadian Bianca Andreescu withstood a late rally from the tennis great to win, 6-3, 7-5, for her first Slam title.
Williams, who turns 38 on Sept. 26, has made four Grand Slam finals since her return to the tour after giving birth to her daughter, Olympia, two years ago.
She has not won a set in any of them.
But she has looked better in each one, especially at the U.S. Open where she mounted a furious comeback in the second set and almost won it. Her longtime coach says time is on her side.
Via Sky Sports:
“I think time is working for her. I think she was much better at the US Open than she was at Wimbledon and Wimbledon better than Roland Garros.
“She is getting back in shape and the more in shape she will be the more dangerous she will be. I think she has started to play really good tennis.”
Mouratoglou has coached Williams since 2012. She won 10 Grand Slam titles between then and stepping away in September 2017.
Williams made the final at Wimbledon in 2018 and lost to Angelique Kerber, 6-3, 6-3. It was 10 months after a difficult child birth and Mouratoglou told Match Tennis she was “far away from being prepared physically.”
Two of her next three Grand Slam final losses were to women appearing in and winning their first ones. And each played the game of her life to overcome the great player they grew up admiring.
Mouratoglou told Match Tennis:
“I think it’s important to understand that, when Serena plays a Grand Slam final, she has more pressure than any other player.
“She plays to make history. She is incredible. The pressure is enormous. And on the other side, she had bad luck because she played with younger players who were relaxed with no stress and pressure. That’s why she lost. She will have chances because she is playing well.”
Williams fell to then 20-year-old Naomi Osaka, 6-2, 6-4, in the 2018 U.S. Open. It was Osaka’s breakout moment, though she has dropped to fourth in the world rankings.
Williams again had success at Wimbledon, but fell to Simona Halep, 6-2, 6-2. It was No. 6 ranked Halep’s second title.
And Andreescu, ranked fifth now, became the teenage “She The North” hero of Canada by winning her first title
Williams’ next shot is at the Australian Open in January. It’s the site of her last Grand Slam victory in 2017, when she was pregnant.