"There's a little contradiction" - Serena Williams' ex-coach Patrick Mouratoglou weighs in on Carlos Alcaraz's 'enjoying tennis' comment

Serena Williams' former coach Patrick Mouratoglou recently gave his thoughts on Carlos Alcaraz's comments about not focussing on winning silverware after he triumphed at the Indian Wells Masters last month.

Alcaraz, who initially had a slow start to his season, was in fine form in Indian Wells as he dropped only two sets en route to defending his 2023 crown in the Californian desert. During his press conference following his title victory, the 20-year-old claimed that enjoying his game is the only thing that occupies his mind when he's toughing it out on the court.

"If I win tournaments or not, I don't care. It's about enjoying playing tennis, once I step on the court, putting my game. It's what only matters," the Spaniard told the media in early March. "That's why I'm really, really happy to lift this trophy, because I found myself at this tournament, and I felt really, really good."

On Tuesday (April 2), Patrick Mouratoglou seemingly found discrepancies in the above comment that Carlos Alcaraz made. The famous coach took to his Instagram reels to claim that while the World No. 2 was supposedly "enjoying the process", he still cared enough about winning the Indian Wells title.

"What Carlos Alcaraz is saying is that he doesn't care if he wins tournaments or not, that it's about enjoying the process," Patrick Mouratoglou said. "But in the same sentence, he says, 'That's why I'm so happy that I lift the trophy,' so there's a little contradiction."

However, the Frenchman did somewhat agree with Alcaraz's take on competing.

"And I think that what he means is that when you are competing, you cannot focus on winning," he added. "It brings crazy pressure. It doesn't help you focus on how to win."

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"Carlos Alcaraz's mindset switched from playing the tennis he loves to play to having to win" - Serena Williams' ex-coach Patrick Mouratoglou

Carlos Alcaraz struggled to win matches towards the end of 2023

Serena Williams' former coach Patrick Mouratoglou further gave his reasoning for why Carlos Alcaraz failed to make a mark on the men's tour last year following his Wimbledon triumph. The 53-year-old asserted that the Spaniard had himself wilted a bit under pressure and was playing for wins towards the end of the 2023 season.

"Everybody was saying that what was great with him was that he was smiling all the time, playing tennis, and then he started to win a lot," Mouratoglou said. "And then suddenly, much more expectation, and probably his mindset switched from playing the tennis he loves to play to having to win, and then suddenly he couldn't anymore."

Mouratoglou ended his reel with what he felt should be the ideal approach towards winning trophies regularly.

"Focus on the process, 'What do I need to do to have a good chance to win and lift trophies?' And that is the best way to win them," he said.