Mouratoglou: Serena going through a difficult period

 

Originally published on 17/07/14

After a dominant 2013, Williams has not been at her best this year as she has failed to make it past the fourth round of any of the Grand Slams. At Wimbledon she was beaten in the third round by Alize Cornet and was then involved in a bizarre abandonment from the doubles. The 32-year-old, playing alongside sister Venus, looked to be struggling with her vision as she was barely able to catch the ball and served a game of double faults.

The official explanation afterwards was that she was suffering from a “viral illness” but that was met with scepticism, especially when Mouratoglou, who started working with Williams in June 2012, said he had not seen his player for two days before she took to the court. It was speculated that there had been a rift between Williams and Mouratoglou, who have been romantically linked but have never confirmed it.

"Serena is clearly going through a difficult period,” Mouratoglou told France's Tennis Magazine. “But after Wimbledon we had many hours of discussions and we have restarted our work. "Today, she is in a state of mind where she wants to train hard to come back strong. At no time was there any question of our collaboration ending. There were complicated things and it is true that Serena is in a difficult phase, but I'll leave it there."

Williams has not played competitively since Wimbledon after withdrawing from the Swedish Open in Bastad. The world No.1 said she was “still not 100%” but is due to return at the Bank of the West Classic at Stanford University on July 28.

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