- Simona Halep can already feel the positive vibe in her tennis career with Patrick Mouratoglou as her new coach
- She says the French coach is helping her open up more and they are able to communicate more
- Ideally, Halep feels Mouratoglou will help her win a third Grand Slam as the French Open nears
- Mouratoglou coached Serena Williams who is recovering from a Hamstring Injury she picked last year
Simona Halep can already feel the positive vibe in her tennis career with Patrick Mouratoglou as her new coach.
Halep is already feeling the benefits of training with Mouratoglou. She expects that the Frenchman will help her win a hard-court Grand Slam.
Prior to the Australian Open, Halep held short-term contracts with Daniel Dobre and Adrian Marcu after splitting with longtime coach Darren Cahill in September 2021.
With Mouratoglou, she now feels she is up for a Grand Slam.
HOW IS PATRICK MOURATOGLOU HELPING SIMONA HALEP?
Simona Halep With Patrick Mouratoglou. Photo/GiveMeSport
Simona Halep feels that Mouratoglou has helped her to open up, something she did not have with her other coaches.
She says that the former coach to 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams is a typical match she always looked out for.
Speaking to Tennis Majors, Halep revealed that she never knew Mouratoglou until early this year.
“I didn’t really know him before this year,” she says. “We never talked and I didn’t have a feeling of how he is, but I saw that he has a strong personality and he’s pretty hard as a coach. So I thought he’s a good match for me and that’s why I’m here.”
WHAT DOES SIMONA HALEP LIKE ABOUT PATRICK MORATOGLOU?
As she eyes another Grand Slam, Halep finds it easy talking to Mouratoglou which is a good thing. And she feels this is a huge step in her career.
“He’s easy to talk to. We know each other pretty well already, which is a big step for me because I’m not very open to everybody, I’m a very introverted person.
“So he made me open and I think this is a good thing for our relationship on court. His simplicity is super heavy, super strong. He has a few words that he tells you and you understand perfectly what you have to do.”
Although Halep is a former world No. 1 and a two-time Grand Slam champion, she still has the potential to grow as a tennis player.
Simona Halep. Photo/Unshared News
She wants to get a jump on the game by getting the ball earlier and opening the court in a much more efficient manner.
Additionally, she wants to compete with the world’s most powerful hitters, and acquire more strength to do so.
As a result, physical strength is an absolute necessity. On top of that, Halep plans to open up the court a bit more so that she can make better use of angles and take the ball early.
Halep is eyeing the French Open this year under guidance from Mouratoglou.
Since winning the French Open in 2018 and three WTA 1000 championships on clay, the 30-year-old has said that she “loves” the surface for the upcoming 2022 clay-season!
HOW DID PATRICK MOURATOGLOU END UP COACHING SIMONA HALEP?
Simon Halep, a former world No.1 stated last week she would be working with Mouratoglou.
She had had a two-month solo tour that came with mixed results. The Frenchman who coached Williams until recently said he missed coaching after the former was sidelined by an injury.
Williams hasn’t played since July last year after picking a hamstring injury that took months to heal.
Mouratoglou said he realized how much he missed coaching in the last eight months after Serena’s absence due to a hamstring injury.
“In the last eight months I realised how much I’ve missed coaching. It is the passion of my life and I still feel I have so much to give,” he tweeted.
Serena Williams with Patrick Mouratoglou. Photo/GQ
He welcomed the idea to coach Halep moving forward. However, it seemed both Serena and Mouratoglou had agreed much earlier about their parting.
Why? Because he welcomed Halep to his academy before the Indian Wells tournament.
He says that Halep showed up at the Mouratoglou Academy ahead of the Indian Wells tournament and watched her practice.
“Simona came to the Mouratoglou Academy before Indian Wells for a training block. I swung by at a few of her practices, watched her train,” explains the veteran coach.
Then, Simona asked if he would coach her a week later which is when he had a discussion with Serena on his exit as her coach.
“A few weeks later, I had a conversation with Serena and the door opened for me, at least short term, to work with someone else.”
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