"Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka were not comfortable on grass"- Serena Williams' ex-coach Patrick Mouratoglou on women's singles draw at Wimbledon

Serena Williams' ex-coach Patrick Mouratoglou has stated that Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka were not comfortable playing on the grass during the recently-concluded Wimbledon.

Mouratoglou took to social media to share his thoughts about the performances of women at the Championships. Unseeded Czech Republic player Marketa Vondrousova won the tournament at SW19 to everyone's surprise.

Taking Vondrousova's run into account, Mouratoglou denied the fact that unpredictability had returned to women's tennis and it had more to do with the surface.

"I don't think we are back to unpredictable tennis on the women's side, I think it's just the grass that makes it. It's a very special surface," he said.

The Frenchman mentioned that top seed Iga Swiatek and second seed Aryna Sabalenka were unable to play freely on grass. He said:

"If you look at Iga Swiatek, you never felt during the tournament that she was very comfortable on the grass. Same for Sabalenka."

Iga Swiatek was handed a shock defeat by Elina Svitolina in their quarter-final clash. Despite losing the first set, the Ukrainian defeated her top-ranked opponent 5-7, 7-6(5), 6-2.

Mouratoglou added that World No. 3 Elena Rybakina was the only one who looked settled on the surface but was unsuccessful owing to her poor form.

"The only one that feels comfortable on the surface is Rybakina. I mean lately she’s not playing good so she was unable to play her best. So yeah we had surprising players," he said.

He then spoke about the two finalists, Vondrousova and Ons Jabeur, stating that Jabeur was expected to play well as it was her second final at SW19.

"I mean Ons was not a surprise because it was her second final here. I think she was back to a very good level. But the winner, Vondrousova, was a big surprise," Mouratoglou said.

World No. 1 Iga Swiatek has been unable to find her feet on the grass courts. The four-time Grand Slam winner's win percentage on grass is 70.97, her lowest compared to other surfaces.

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"Marketa Vondrousova had self-belief" - Patrick Mouratoglou

Marketa Vondrousova of the Czech Republic with the Wimbledon trophy

Marketa Vondrousova won her first Grand Slam after defeating sixth-seed Ons Jabeur 6-4, 6-4 in the summit clash at the Championships. On her triumph, Mouratoglou suggested that Vondrousova was able to win the title because of self-belief. He said:

"I think when you reach one grand slam final, you can only envision yourself doing it. Match after match, Vondrousova believed she could win the next one and the next one and the next one until she reached the final."

Mouratoglou observed that Jabeur was under extreme pressure to win the final and the Czech Republican's style of play helped her lift the trophy. He said:

"Vondrousova benefitted from a game that fits the surface extremely well. And the fact that Ons was under much pressure to win such a heavy favorite in the final that it was too much pressure to handle. I think the combination of the two made her the winner."