Serena Williams’ former coach reveals ‘big asset’ that could be key to comeback
Patrick Mouratoglou coached the great Serena Williams for more than a decade so he perhaps knows more than most whether or not she would consider a comeback.
Three years after she announced she would be “evolving away from tennis”, the 23-time Grand Slam winner was sensationally linked with a return to the sport after her name appeared on the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA)’s International Registered Testing Pool (IRTP).
As per ITIA regulations, players “may not return to sanctioned events unless they have made themselves available for out-of-competition testing for at least six months prior to the event in question”.
But the former world No 1 decided to nip the reports in the bud as she posted on X: “I’m NOT coming back. This wildfire is crazy.”
Many, though, believe that is not the end of that as the ITIA confirmed that the American asked to be added to the list, paving the way for a possible return as early as April 2026.
When Williams stepped away from tennis in 2022, she admitted she wanted to focus on her family and business adventures and Mouratoglou – who mentored her from 2012 until 2022 – admits the 44-year-old certainly has a lot on her plate.
“I think she has a lot of challenges in her life at the moment. She has two kids, it’s new. They’re still young, so it’s a new journey. She’s doing a lot of things in business,” he said on The Sports Agents podcast – which is available to watch/listen to now on Global Player, YouTube and wherever you get your podcasts. “But nothing will ever replace competition in tennis, being number one in the world.”
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Williams already made one comeback as, after giving birth to her first child, a daughter named Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr, in September 2017, she returned to action in 2018 and finished runner-up at four Grand Slams.
She then hung up her racket in September 2022 and gave birth to her second daughter, Adira River Ohanian, August 2023.
Mouratoglou, though, feels Williams has worked hard on her fitness and that could be “big asset” should she return.
He added: “I mean, Serena is Serena. You know, there is only one in the history. She’s been able to achieve things in the past that I thought, and everybody would think, are impossible.
“I would say nothing’s impossible for her. Definitely being perfectly in shape, which looks like it’s the case at the moment, is a big asset. I mean, she’s 44 years old, which is very old for that sport. But on the other hand, she’s in perfect shape.”
