Patrick Mouratoglou believes the true greats of tennis will always have the perfect mix of technical brilliance and an unshakable mental strength that gets them over the line when the pressure is at its peak.
The former coach to tennis legend Serena Williams is uniquely placed to assess the importance of mental strength in tennis, as he played a role in helping the 23-time Grand Slam champion realise all of her potential.
Williams boasted an unshakable confidence and a depth of belief that carried her over the winning line when some of her opponents may have doubted themselves and now Mouratoglou has suggested the most talented players in the world will not claim glory unless they control the mental battle they will endure on court.
In an exclusive interview with Tennis365 ahead of the release of his new book Champion Mindset takes a deep dive into the mentality of life on and off the court, Mouratoglou suggested the battle of the mind is what separates top players from the greats.
“A champion is always the complete package and that is the game and the mind,” Mouratoglou told Tennis365.
“You cannot separate one from the other and that is why it is so important to understand players mentally because you can do or say something that can put some doubts in their mind if you don’t say it at the right moment.
“If you touch on the technique of a player, you will also touch on the mental side of their game, for sure. It is the same with the physical and the tactical. You can bring stress that can create doubts.
“Tennis players are very fragile machines. They are not robots, as that would be too simple. If it was just about executing a shot and a plan, then they would be robots, but it’s more than that. The emotional side of tennis is so big and plays a massive role.”
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Mouratoglou has seen great players lose belief when it matters most, with controlling emotions on court so important for a player to realise his full potential.
He highlights Britain’s Emma Raducanu as an example of a player who goes onto court with more than just the burden of her own expectations to contend with, as criticism and the threat of it can also impact a match.
“Most players are confident as they have the ability to play good tennis when they reach the top of the sport, but so many of them don’t believe in themselves when they play certain opponents,” he continues.
“When they lose a few matches, they lose belief to beat others and when you are in the locker room, you can see how some of them are scared before matches and it’s crazy.
“But there is so much on the line every time they play a match because first of all, they are evaluating themselves.
“Then they have the press evaluating them and when you are in a big country like Britain and there is a lot of publicity around tennis, a player like Emma Raducanu takes the risk that people will write or say bad things about you every time you go on court. That is not easy to deal with.
“Players are stressed and they need a lot of confidence to deal with that stress or they will not be able to deliver.”
A tennis coach needs to be a psychologist and a master of the technical and tactical side of the game and having lived through a challenging childhood he battled self-esteem and emotional issues on a daily basis, Mouratoglou is perfectly placed to offer his players a unique set of skills.
The post Emma Raducanu ‘takes a risk’ every time she goes on court says Patrick Mouratoglou appeared first on Tennis365.
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