Patrick Mouratoglou who has been coaching the World no. 2 Serena Williams for quite some time wants the American star to leave Steffi Graff behind and become the leading Grand Slam winner of all time in the female category of professional tennis.
Serena inched a step closer to Graff by winning the American open title on the home soil last month. She had not had a great year before that tournament, but, she was rejuvenated playing at Flushing Meadows and by winning her 18th slam, she was able to draw level with the Czech legend Martina Navratilova.
Serena is still quite a bit away from Graff though. She needs 4 more slams to get to her and 5 more to overtake her. She is not getting any younger now. At 33, she might have passed the best phase of her career. This year, there have already been signs that her body is playing a few tricks. She hasn’t looked the fittest on the court of late.
So, breaking Graff’s record or even equalizing it is not going to be a cake walk for Serena from here onwards. Motivation would also be a big factor. Having already played the game for almost 20 years and having won so much, does she have the hunger to keep going until she gets past Graff? According to Mouratoglou, she absolutely has.
Speaking in an interview, the Frenchman said, “There’s no lack of motivation as far as Serena is concerned. She is very keen to rewrite the history books.”
“To be alright in terms of health and fitness is vital for her, but, she is being taken care of by a fantastic medical group. So, I am that much concerned about it.”
“She will have to get to 23 step by step. She just needs to think about the 19th right now, then the 20th and so on.”