Tennis fans have been shocked by the exorbitant fees charged by Serena Williams’ former coach Patrick Mouratoglou for personal coaching.
Mouratoglou is a well-known French tennis coach who is widely recognized for his successful partnership with Williams. He served as the 23-time Grand Slam champion’s coach for a full decade, from 2012 until a few months before his retirement in 2022.
The 53-year-old has also coached several other notable players, including Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, Grigor Dimitrov, Simona Simona Halep, Holger Rune and Stefanos Tsitsipas.
Fans recently discovered that Patrick Mouratoglou charges $7,500 for one-on-one lessons. They were shocked to see the French charging such huge fees.
Fans expressed their surprise on social media platforms. One fan asked Mouratoglou if he thought he had Roger Federer-like abilities and could justify such a high fee.
“He thinks he’s Federer?” one fan posted on X.
Another fan expressed disbelief and sarcastically suggested that it was unreasonable for anyone to pay such a high fee to learn the art of microdosing performance-enhancing drugs, and risk an ITIA suspension.
The fan’s comment alluded to an incident involving Simona Halep, who was banned for using Roxadustat under Patrick Mouratoglou.
The fan posted: “Now sane people pay $7500 for a private session and all you get is how to microdose performance enhancing drugs and an ITIA suspension.”
Here are more reactions from tennis fans:
Patrick Mouratoglou: For tennis players, Grand Slams are 100 times more important than the Olympics
Patrick Mouratoglou recently addressed the widespread belief among tennis players that Grand Slams are more important than Olympic medals. I have already explained that this view stems from the relatively limited historical connection between tennis and the Olympics.
Mouratoglou took to social media to share his thoughts on the importance of the Olympics to the tennis world. I highlighted the disconnect that exists between tennis and the Olympics, resulting in athletes generally underestimating its importance.
The Frenchman believes the lack of historical links between tennis and the Olympics has led to the belief that winning Grand Slam titles is more important than success at the Olympics.
“There’s no real connection between tennis and the Olympics. A lot of tennis players don’t feel like it’s such an important event for tennis. Initially, tennis was in the Olympics, then it was withdrawn, and finally, tennis was reintroduced so , there is no history between tennis and the Olympics. They think the Grand Slams are 100 times more important for tennis players than the Olympics,” he said.
Patrick Mouratoglou said it is significant for tennis players to participate in the Masters 1000 event every year because their rankings largely depend on it. Furthermore, Grand Slams are the ultimate symbol of achievement in the sport.
The 53-year-old also expressed his observation that the Olympics, held every four years, often lose meaning for tennis players who prioritize winning Grand Slams.
“Every year you have the Masters 1000, which is very important because your rankings depend on that, mainly against all the best players. You have the Grand Slams, they are incredible institutions,” Patrick Mouratoglou He said.
“For most players, winning a Grand Slam would be the highest possible achievement. Every four years, there are tournaments that seem small, not as an event but as a tennis match – against the big players. Grand Slam compared to the Olympics. So again, we need time and history. When there is a long history between tennis and the Olympics, I think players will see it as different,” he added.