Tennis’ Popular Voice Patrick Mouratoglou Sounds Off on an Aggressive Serena Williams-Like Trait That Attracted Him to Coach Holger Rune – ‘Makes the Stadium Alive’

52-year-old Patrick Mouratoglou is one of the most respected tennis coaches right now. The French coach has worked with some of the most successful tennis players since founding the Mouratoglou Tennis Academy back in 1996, including 23-time Grand Slam winner Serena Williams. At the moment, Mouratoglou is coaching Romanian Simona Halep. He also coached Dane Holger Rune for six months before they decided to go separate ways in April. While Halep is serving a suspension after testing positive for a banned substance in 2022, Rune is touted by many fans and experts to emerge as the next big thing in men’s tennis.

While there’s no doubting Rune’s tennis playing abilities, one of the special things he brings to the court is the way he expresses his emotions. According to Mouratoglou, it’s a quality that he has always liked, and one that also abundant in Serena Williams.

Special Holger Rune quality allows people to connect with him, claims Mouratoglou

In an Instagram reel, Mouratoglou expressed his preference for players who aren’t afraid to let out their emotions while playing tennis. The iconic coach said, “I personally like players who are giving emotion. And to share that with the crowd in a way because you express it.”

Mouratoglou went on to say, “It helps also people connect with you in a good or in a bad way, but they connect and it makes the stadium alive.” He also said that tennis is “not only about hitting a tennis ball on the other side of the court. It’s also about giving emotion to the people who watch.”

Focusing specifically on Rune, Mouratoglou stated, “When you have players like Holger who are full of emotions and who share those emotions throughout the match something’s happening on the court. So I personally like it.” Rune has never been shy of letting people know about what he’s feeling. For instance, following his Indian Wells loss at the hands of Swiss Stan Wawrinka, Rune lashed out in an attempt to vent his frustration.

Read More: ‘I Practiced With Serena Williams’ – Holger Rune Refuses to Answer Greatest Player Question Due to His ‘Respect for Female Tennis Players

Serena Williams had her on-court issues with emotion as well

There was a time Mouratoglou coached women’s tennis icon Serena Williams as well. When the Frenchman started coaching Williams, she was struggling with injuries. However, under Mouratoglou’s guidance, Williams returned to the peak of her powers. In the process, she added 4 more Grand Slam titles to her kitty.

Despite returning to winning ways, Serena often lost control of her emotions on the tennis court. The most glaring example of this came at the 2018 US Open final, where Williams was slapped with multiple penalties. For starters, a code violation came her way due to coaching. Then, there was a penalty point after she broke her racket. She also accused the chair umpire of being a “thief”, which earned her a game penalty. Last but not least, Williams also had to shell out a fine worth $17,000.

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