Serena Williams’ coach: allow on-court coaching

Patrick Mouratoglou, the coach at the center of Serena Williams’ controversial US Open defeat, says coaching should be allowed at all tennis tournaments to make it more exciting on television and help grow the sport.

His comments come after last month’s US Open women’s final descended into chaos when chair umpire Carlos Ramos handed the former top-ranked American three code violations, including one for receiving coaching from her long-time coach Mouratoglou in the stands.

Williams furiously denied receiving any coaching, and accused Ramos of sexism after the match, sparking a global debate about double standards in sports. She was later given a $17,000 fine by tournament organizers.

Although Mouratoglou did not directly address Williams’ meltdown in a column in the latest edition of Britain’s Tennishead magazine, he wrote: “One very good thing has happened as a consequence of Serena Williams’ experience in the US Open final: people throughout tennis are again discussing the whole issue of on-court coaching.

“At the moment we’re in the worst of all worlds. On-court coaching is clearly widespread, but it is unstructured, players are occasionally given code violations for it and TV viewers are given no insight into what the coaches are telling their players.”

The first of many. A 17-year-old Williams beats Martina Hingis at the 1999 US Open in straight sets to win her first major title.

Conquering clay. Serena beats sister Venus at Roland Garros 7-5 6-3 in 2002 to claim her second grand slam at the French Open.

A few weeks later, Serena makes it a hattrick of grand slams with victory over Venus at the Wimbledon final in July 2002.

Serena comes out on top after another final with Venus, beating her sister in straight sets to win her second US Open title in 2002.

A grand slam of grand slams -- the first "Serena Slam." Serena wins a first Australian Open title -- and a fourth major on the trot -- by beating Venus in three sets in 2003.

Serena wins the 2003 Wimbledon final 4-6 6-4 6-2 against sister Venus to defend her crown.

A second Australian Open title for Serena and a seventh grand slam after a 2-6 6-3 6-0 victory over compatriot Lindsay Davenport in the 2005 Melbourne final.

Victory over Maria Sharapova in the 2007 final secures a third Australian Open title for Serena.

Serena on Times Square with the US Open trophy, a title she won without dropping a set at the 2008 tournament.

Ten years of grand slam success and a 10th major for Serena as she beats Dinara Safina in straight sets at the Australian Open final in 2009.

Another victory over sister Venus in a Wimbledon final and Serena clinches her third title at SW19 in 2009.

Serena poses with the Daphne Akhurst Trophy in 2010, her fifth Australian Open title.

A two-year wait, but Serena notches a 14th major with yet more success at Wimbledon. She beats Poland's Agnieszka Radwanska 6-1 5-7 6-2 in the 2010 final to level with sister Venus with five Wimbledon titles.

Wimbledon 2012 was Williams' first grand slam since spending almost a year out of action between summer 2010 and 2011 with a leg injury and subsequent pulmonary embolism.

Thirteen years after her first US Open title, Serena grabs a fourth by beating world No.1 Victoria Azarenka in the final

Serena with the Coupe Suzanne Lenglen trophy in front of the Eiffel Tower after victory over Sharapova in the 2013 final.

Another US Open for Serena, beating Azarenka in the 2013 final for the second successive year.

Victory at the US Open in 2014 moves Williams to joint-fourth in the all-time list of major winners, alongside Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert.

Another fine start to a year as Williams wins the 2015 Australian Open -- once again beating Sharapova in a major final.

A second grand slam of the year and a third French Open after a 6-3 6-7 6-2 win over Czech Republic's Lucie Safarova in 2015.

A third major title of the year thanks to a straight-sets win over Spain's Garbine Muguruza in the 2015 Wimbledon final. But there was to be no "Serena Slam'"of four majors in the same calendar year.

A seventh Wimbledon title for the then world No.1 and now equal with Steffi Graf's Open era record of major titles. "This court definitely feels like home," says Williams after her straight sets win over Angelique Kerber in 2016.

At the start of 2017, sister Venus is beaten in straight sets as a seventh Australian Open is secured and an Open-era record 23rd Grand Slam singles title won. Later we would find out she won while pregnant with her first child.

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No on-court coaching at the majors

Under the current rules, on-court coaching isn’t allowed during any of the four tennis majors or on the men’s ATP World Tour.

The US Open has been experimenting with on-court coaching in the past two years, allowing it during its qualifying and junior events.

The women’s WTA Tour allows women to talk to their coach during one changeover per set. The coach is wearing a mic, so the conversation can be heard by television viewers and commentators.

Serena Williams argues with umpire Carlos Ramos during the 2018 US Open final.

To date, the four grand slam tournaments have resisted calls to introduce on-court coaching in the main draws, arguing that having players figure out problems by themselves is one of the unique attractions to tennis.

But Mouratoglou believes it’s time to change.

“I have never understood why tennis is just about the only sport in which coaching during matches is not allowed,” said the 48-year-old Frenchman, who has guided Williams to 10 of a total of 23 grand slam singles titles since they started working together in 2012.

After all, Mouratoglou argued, team sports have it, and so have most other individual sports, such as boxing, cycling or golf.

Mouratoglou added he also wanted to make it obligatory for coaches to speak in English during changeovers, even if both player and coach usually communicate in a different language.

“It’s important that TV viewers can understand what is being said,” Mouratoglou said, adding it would bring in more casual tennis fans and help grow the sport.

- After turning professional in September 2013, Osaka made her WTA main-draw debut at the 2014 Bank of the West Classic. The then 16-year-old showed her promise by defeating former grand slam champion Samantha Stosur in her opening match. The eventual winner of that tournament? Serena Williams.

- Fast forward a year and the young Japanese player was beginning to work her way up the world rankings. She ended 2015 by winning the 2015 Rising Stars Invitational exhibition, defeating Caroline Garcia in the final.

- Osaka reached her first grand slam at the 2016 Australian Open. The 18-year-old qualifier progressed to the the third round, before being roundly beaten by eventual winner Victoria Azarenka. Osaka went on to reach the third round at both Rolland Garros and the US Open later that year.

- Osaka finished 2016 by reaching her first WTA final. After being handed a wildcard to compete at the Toray Pan Pacific Open, the youngster (left) finished runner-up behind Caroline Wozniacki (right). The successful year yielded rich rewards for Osaka. She broke into the world Top 50, signed a worldwide marketing agreement and was voted newcomer of the year at the WTA Awards.

- Osaka built on her breakthrough 2016 by playing in all four grand slams in 2017. Performing consistently on the biggest stage enabled the youngster to test herself against the world elite. Perhaps her most notable victory came in the first round of the 2017 US Open. Osaka defeated defending champion Angelique Kerber in straight sets, before being knocked out in the third round.

- After achieving her best grand slam finish at the 2018 Australian Open (fourth round), Osaka won her first WTA title at the 2018 BNP Paribas Open, Indian Wells. She cemented herself as a future star with wins against former world No.1's Maria Sharapova and Simona Halep on her way to victory.

- In March 2018, Osaka was pitted against her tennis hero for the first time, in the first round of the Miami Open. It was Serena's fourth comeback match since giving birth and Osaka ran away with a comfortable straight sets victory.

- The pair then met for a second time, at the 2018 US Open final. Serena was aiming for her 24th Grand Slam title and Osaka was competing in her first grand slam final. Amid controversy involving her opponent and the umpire, the 20-year-old Japanese star deservedly won in straight sets for her biggest career win to date, earning $3.8 million in the process.

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‘Very basic truth’

Shortly after the end of the US Open finals, Mouratoglou told US broadcaster ESPN he had been coaching Williams “like 100% of the coaches in 100% of the matches,” but that he didn’t think she had seen it.

In his column for Tennishead.net, Mouratoglou said it was “a very basic truth that the vast majority of tennis coaches are actually coaching on court, despite the rules. Occasionally the players are punished for it, but for the most part they are not.”

“Look at how many times players look towards their box during a match. Some do it after every single point.

“Of course the coaches are usually discreet in the way they give message to their players – they do it with signs or coded signals – but most of them also communicate verbally,” said Mouratoglou, the founder and president of the Mouratoglou Tennis Academy in the south of France.

“So if on-court coaching is happening anyway, would it not be much better to authorize it in a structured way?” he asked.

Serena Williams has taken tennis fashion to new heights. In New York she wore a $500 black-and-brown one-shoulder silhouette dress with tulle skirt for her 2018 US Open debut.

Williams, playing her first home Slam since giving birth to her first child last year, entered the Arthur Ashe Stadium in a black bomber jacket with white trim.

Williams turned heads with her striking black catsuit in the first round of the 2018 French Open in Paris -- tournament organizers have since tightened dress codes for next year, meaning the catsuit will be consigned to the closet.

The 23-time grand slam champion was playing in her first major since giving birth to her first child in September. "I feel like a warrior princess in it," she told reporters. " I'm always living in a fantasy world. I always wanted to be a superhero, and it's kind of my way of being a superhero."

The 36-year-old American said the skintight suit also served a practical purpose after enduring a difficult childbirth. "I had a lot of problems with my blood clots. So there is definitely a little functionality to it," she said.

Williams sticks with black and pink during the 2016 US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing, New York.

Serena attends the 2016 Vanity Fair Oscar Party Hosted By Graydon Carter at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Beverly Hills, California.

Serena enjoyed an astonishing 2015 season -- winning the Australian Open, French Open and Wimbledon. She missed the China Open and WTA finals after revealing she needed time to recover from a grueling year.

At the beginning —

Serena sports a beaded hairstyle as she celebrates her first U.S. Open title -- and her first major -- back in 1999.

Parisian style —

Serena Williams poses on court after triumphing in the 2015 French Open final.

In the pink —

Serena blasts down a powerful serve on her way to another victory.

Height of fashion —

In 1999, Williams enrolled at the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale in Florida to study fashion design. Here, she shows a collection of her designs at the 2012 Australian Open.

If the cap fits... —

Williams, the world's No. 1 player, serves during a training session ahead of the 2015 French Open in Paris.

Traditional values —

Williams celebrated her sixth Wimbledon title in 2015, resplendent in the All England Club's traditional all-white attire. It meant she held all four grand slam titles, going back to the 2014 U.S. Open -- her second "Serena Slam."

The cat's whiskers —

Serena sported a catsuit when she played Corina Morariu during the 2002 U.S. Open. That title was the third leg of her first non-calendar "Serena Slam," which she completed months later at the 2003 Australian Open.

Making an entrance —

Williams waves to the crowd as she enters stadium court before her match against Monica Niculescu of Romania at Indian Wells in 2015.

Glowing performance —

In a neon yellow outfit, Serena celebrates against Eleni Daniilidou of Greece during the 2012 Western & Southern Open in Mason, Ohio.

Blue moment —

Williams looks crestfallen as she reflects on a point that got away.

Suitable occasion —

A more formally-attired Serena celebrates one of her six victories at the U.S. Open.

Black and white image —

The Florida resident has triumphed at the US Open in New York six times.

Power play —

With her hair -- which she once described as "super crazy" -- tied back, Serena blasts a shot in a match against Ana Ivanovic in Cincinnati.

Out of the shadows —

Serena serves on a sunny day at Flushing Meadows, New York.

Up in the air —

Williams celebrates after winning the Madrid Open final against Maria Sharapova in 2013.

Hair-raising —

Serena sports a new style at the Australian Open in 2013.

Serena Williams: Stylish superstar

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Mouratoglou said he “would love to see coaches on the court in all matches,” such as during the Davis Cup and Fed Cup team events.

“If people consider that a step too far, I would advocate the WTA rule, though I would prefer it if coaches could come on the court more often,” he said.