Serena Williams’ coach says he didn’t do his job to the best of his abilities when it came to the American's loss to Roberta Vinci in this year’s US Open semifinals.
Read the full interview at ESPN W
The longtime coach of Williams, who has guided her to eight Grand Slam titles, says he should have done a better job of preparing her mentally for the semifinals in New York.
"I don't think the strategy was wrong, but I think she was not in the right mindset that day for her tennis, which happens, but usually I find a way to make her be better on those days," he told Melissa Isaacson of ESPN W in an exclusive interview. "And on this day, I did not."
Williams insisted that nerves weren’t a part of the equation for her in New York, but she was clearly out of sorts and highly emotional during her match with Vinci and at other points during her quest for the calendar Slam.
Mouratoglou says the experience has taken a toll on Williams, and he hinted that she might not be ready to compete again this season.
"She was two matches away from something really big, so it was very painful," Mouratoglou said, according to Isaacson. "Any loss is very painful for her, but this one even more than usual, so it just takes time to recover from it. When the motivation comes back, which I don't doubt it will, then it will be time to start tournaments again."