‘It’s two different sports’: Serena better than Court, says coach

Serena Williams’ pursuit of Margaret Court’s record 24 grand slams is irrelevant to her status as the greatest female tennis player of all time.

That’s the view of Williams’ coach Patrick Mouratoglou, who believes comparing Williams’ 23 major titles to Court’s 24 is akin to comparing apples to oranges.

“There is tennis before the open era and tennis after the open era. We all know it’s two different sports. It’s an amateur sport and a professional sport,” Mouratoglou said ahead of Williams’ quarter-final clash against Simona Halep. It doesn’t make really sense to compare.

“Does she need that validation? I don’t think she needs that validation. But, I mean, clearly she came back to tennis to win some other grand slams, so that’s for sure the goal.

“Now, she’s not as obsessed with the 24 than most of the people in the tennis world, but definitely she wants to win grand slams. That’s the only reason why she came back to tennis.”

That Williams would surpass Court was considered inevitable when she won her 23rd major at Melbourne Park in 2017. She took the rest of that year off before giving birth to her daughter, Olympia.

Best ever? Serena Williams.Credit: Eddie Jim

Since returning, she has reached four finals - at Wimbledon and the US Open in 2018 and 2019 - but has fallen at the final hurdle on each occasion. The 1479-day drought between grand slams is Williams’ longest since she won her first major title at the US Open in 1999.

The dry spell has triggered a change in her fitness regime. At 39, the most notable change to Williams’ game this summer has been her mobility.

“Is she moving better than last year? Yes, for sure. Is she moving better than the last three years? Yes, for sure. No doubt about it,” Mouratoglou said. “It’s a sport where you have to be able to move fast from side to side and long enough. It’s something that probably in the last two, three years, this had consequences for Serena.

“Even more, when you’re not in a good day, you need a Plan B. To be able to have a Plan B, you have to be able
to move well. If you can’t move well, there is no Plan B.

“The only plan is attack. I think it cost her a few important matches. So we have decided to find a way to bring back the footwork that she used to have in the past. I feel like she’s done a great job. She’s moving much better. I’m happy you’ve seen it.”

Halep is the next opponent that stands between Williams and her pursuit of a 24th major. The second seed has the defensive game to absorb Williams’ power.

The American may have a 9-2 head-to-head advantage against the Romanian but Halep played a “perfect match” to beat Williams in the 2019 Wimbledon final.

“I think Simona played the perfect match in Wimbledon. It’s going to be a different process for her because she knows she can play like that against Serena, which she never did before,” Mouratoglou said. “She will come probably with more confidence, and we’re prepared for that.”