Patrick Mouratoglou details rise from shy kid to coaching mogul on 'Good Trouble'
From his high-profile coaching relationship with Serena Williams, and their most controversial moment, Mouratoglou bares all.
Patrick Mouratoglou has spent his tennis coaching career in the throws of the spotlight, from his long tenure with Serena Williams to his work with Coco Gauff, Holger Rune and other players at his namesake academy in the south of France.
But, as the 53-year-old reveals this week on episode 10 of "Good Trouble with Nick Kyrgios," that wasn't a place he always wanted to be. In fact, in his youth, he didn't crave the spotlight at all.
"I was more than quiet; I was completely unable to talk to anyone. Honestly, I was scared that someone would talk to me, because I knew I would completely freeze and I would be unable to answer anything back. I spent almost 20 years of my life being alone, being unable to talk to people, being bullied a lot because when you are weak, kids are tough. One day, I decided to change. It's more complicated than that, of course, but I worked on myself, I went to see a therapist.
"The first year, I couldn't say a single word to the guy. Not one word. I was going every single week and I couldn't speak; just to say how bad it was. I think it's a good lesson for everyone, because when you decide to change, and you are courageous enough to do what you have to do, then you can make your life different.
"For sure, my life became different from that day."
Though he founded his tennis academy in 1996, Mouratoglou most notably spent 10 years as Williams' coach from 2012-22, and together, the pair won 11 Grand Slam titles, a gold medal and three straight WTA FInals.
But Mouratoglou and Williams' partnership might've made more headlines for its nadir: the controversial 2018 US Open final, where he gave Williams was was then-illegal coaching advice, which kicked off a dispute between Williams and chair umpire Carlos Ramos. Williams received three code violations
"It was a terrible day for us ... it was a bad day, bittersweet day for Naomi. It was her first Grand Slam, but people had more attention on the drama, in a way," Mouratoglou said. "For us it was really painful, and a lot of bad press."
"I know what the feels like," Kyrgios countered.
But Mouratoglou says he looks at the incident with the glass half-full, six years on, both in the context of how the coaching rule eventually changed and otherwise.
"First of all, the drama was so big, because it was a Grand Slam final and it was Serena, all the media all around the world, not just sports media, were talking about tennis," he said.
"So for tennis, it was a great day. I think we need drama to just draw more attention to the game."
Other topics of conversation that the two touch on include seeing people with a "kind eye," which Mouratoglou says is shaped by being judged so harshly in his youth; how he's gone against the grain and gone against conventional tennis wisdom; and Mouratoglou's coaching advice for Kyrgios, and what he thinks is Kyrgios' internal battle.
He also gives his take on top tennis topics in a lightning round, from who the most naturally-talented player is in history, to the rule of the sport that he'd change.
Mouratoglou signs off from the episode with two declarative statements, even though he admits he doesn't give too much advice." First, that Novak Djokovic is the GOAT, and second, to not let critiques or bad thoughts win the day.
"If you don't follow everybody's path, and you try to do something new or different, people at the start don't like it, but one day, they start to like it," he says.
"I think it's very important to not give too much attention to people who criticize you, because there will always be anyway. I think it's very important to put it in balance with people who love you."