“Being a coach is not just about conducting training sessions,” says Serena Williams’ former coach Patrick Mouratoglou. The 54-year-old Frenchman began coaching Williams after her disappointing first-round exit from the 2012 French Open. So, when he joined her team, she was already a 13 Grand Slam title holder. However, she hadn’t won a major tournament in almost 2 years. Interestingly, Serena Williams regained her confidence following his philosophy in the next few months. Later on in that same year, she won Wimbledon, won a gold medal at the London Olympics, won the US Open, and as well as the WTA Finals. What was the secret formula to her incredible turnaround?

Well, according to Patrick Mouratoglou, “We had a special bond with Serena from the start.” His role was to find chemistry with his players. “To be successful, they need to trust you completely. I always work to build that connection…With Serena, it was on another level. You can’t always decide that; it’s just how it is with some people. Our mutual trust and connection were strong, and together, we achieved incredible things, like multiple Grand Slams.” Recently, Serena Williams shared a rare glimpse of her unique chemistry with her former coach and her fitness trainer on her IG stories.

Both Patrick Mouratoglou and Mackie Shilstone played a crucial role in helping Serena Willimas get back to her golden tracks! A week ago, the renowned fitness trainer, Shilstons shared an IG post. In that post, he was spotted dancing to the tunes of ‘We Belong Together’ by Mariah Carey. Guess who joined him? Well, he wasn’t only dancing but through that fun session, he was giving training lessons to the American star. Even Serena Williams was spotted showcasing her dancing skills during the training session.

Patrick Mouratoglou was spotted sitting on a bench and enjoying the show featuring these two superstars! Mackie Shilstone captioned the post with, “It’s the holidays. Let’s dance!” Now, Serena Williams has also shared that post on her IG stories with the caption, “To think this was us being serious 😝🤣 @patrickmouratoglou @mackieshilstone.“

After seeing this unique chemistry of Serena Williams with her team, perhaps we can now understand why Mouratoglou says, “The role of the coach is to be a chameleon. They must be able to adapt to the person in front of them because everyone is completely different.” He believes each player has their own story, character, and ambition. So, there is no one specific method, no copy-and-paste training sessions, or no pre-packaged speeches.

“Many coaches believe that their role ends with training, but their role ends with victory,” said Mouratoglou. How was his relationship with Serena Williams? In reply to this question, the Frenchman once said, “We have a lot in common when it comes to many things: how we view this sport and competition. I think I am the person who knows her best. In fact, that’s what she tells me, and she is also one of the people who knows me best.”

With Patrick Mouratoglou on his side, Serena Williams won 2 AO, 2 French Open, 3 Wimbledon Championships, and 3 US Open. Just like these good days, there must be have some bad days in his ten-year tenure (2012-2022). How did he handle all those things?

“I made her (Serena Williams) cry” – Patrick Mouratoglou

Both Serena Williams and Patrick Mouratoglou have shared quite a few moments together in these ten years. They’ve seen highs and they have also witnessed the lows. How did he manage to solve the disagreements they had during that tenure? “We had quite a few moments where we disagreed. I think one of the keys is to resolve the issues, even if it means telling each other the unvarnished truth face to face, and things heat up. You have to say things even if it hurts… and even if it creates moments of anger,” said the Frenchman.

He further revealed that they shared mutual love and respect for each other and that’s why he feels they might have wanted to continue working with each other no matter what! “If we have a caring perspective, we bring trust, we bring an exchange,” he said. Talking about exchanges, he also added, “There were match briefings when I made her (Williams) cry. But it was necessary. They are intense moments. […] I will never forget those moments in my life.” In between this unique camaraderie, Patrick Mouratoglou also played the role of a strict guide to Williams.

Patrick Mouratoglou once recalled how Serena Williams tried to intimidate him on the day of their first practice session. After seeing that, he had hit the protruding front part of Serena Williams’ cap, forcing her to pay attention to him and assert his authority over the American. So, these are some of the little things that helped this partnership grow with each other, bringing fruitful results to Williams. How was Serena Williams’ relationship with her former fitness coach, though?

Well, Mackie Shilstone once revealed, “She [Serena Williams] taught me how to have fun, she made me laugh. I’ve got two sons, one’s 34, one’s 30. The first person that taught me to text was Serena!” Such was her bonding with her teammates. Share your thoughts on Patrick Mouratoglou and Mackie Shilstone’s incredible contributions to her career.