Serena Williams' ex-coach Patrick Mouratoglou reveals how his one white lie led to the American winning Wimbledon

Serena Williams' ex-coach Patrick Mouratoglou recently recalled how he lied to the American about statistics to help her win Wimbledon. The pair were together on tour for almost a decade and forged one of the most successful partnerships in tennis.

Mouratoglou, who coached Serena Williams from 2012 to 2022, helped guide her through one of the most dominant stretches of her career. Together, they won 10 Grand Slam titles, starting with Wimbledon 2012.

Reflecting on their time together during an appearance on the Tennis Insider Club, Mouratoglou shared how a white lie of his helped Williams win Wimbledon. He recalled a year when she was missing volleys at the start of the tournament, which made her hesitant to approach the net.

"I don't remember which year she played Wimbledon, and she was missing all the volleys at the start of the tournament. And because she was missing at the net, she was scared to move inside the court," he said.

Her lack of confidence began affecting her movement on short balls, and the French coach feared her chances in the tournament were slipping. After one match, while she was biking, he told her he felt relaxed when she approached the net because she won 80% of those points, a stat he admitted was untrue.

"And she said, "Really? I thought I was terrible." But I said, "Maybe you think you're terrible, but it's not me, it's the statistics who do it,"" he added.

Encouraged by the belief, Williams' confidence surged.

"This thing that was not true happened to be true. So from that point until the end of the tournament, because she believed it, she started to be really efficient, and she won 80% of the points at the net until the end of the tournament, and she won Wimbledon," Mouratoglou concluded.

When it came to Grand Slams, Williams earned most success at Wimbledon and the Australian Open, winning seven each. She won the French Open thrice and the US Open six times.

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"Serena Williams was already a champion when I knew her" - When Patrick Mouratoglou spoke about his partnership with American

Serena Williams and Patrick Mouratoglou at the 2021 French Open - Source: Getty

In a 2021 interview with Forbes, Patrick Mouratoglou opened up about the defining partnership of his coaching career. It was his decade-long collaboration with Serena Williams.

Reflecting on how their paths aligned at just the right moment, Mouratoglou acknowledged that their joint success was no coincidence, but rather the result of their readiness and ambition.

"I think it happened at that point because I was ready, believable to play that role. If it hadn't been for her, I probably would have reached this level with someone else. Serena is no accident," Mouratologu said.

He added that Williams had already established herself as a champion even before their collaboration, but working together elevated both of them.

"On her side, she was already a champion when I knew her, but with me, she changed dimension," he added. "Basically, we exploded together in our respective professions. Before her, Marco Baghdatis or Aravane Rezai had also brought me a lot."

Their decade together saw Williams win 10 Grand Slam titles and dominate the sport, with Mouratoglou establishing himself as one of tennis’ most successful modern coaches.