Serena Williams battled her way to a win at Sunday’s U.S. Open match against Victoria Azarenka, fighting heavy winds and her own blunders to pull through in the final hour. Now, after grabbing her fifth title, the tennis star is opening up a bit about her success and how her coach has helped her.
“I think I won like 13 or so (Grand Slams before meeting him), and then so, I think what he added mostly is consistency. I’d like to think I have the game, but at the same time, it’s about bringing it all together and reaching even higher potential more often.”
Williams reportedly has more than just a working relationship with coach Patrick Mouratoglou, but she stresses that not mixing business with pleasure is a must if she’s going to stay focused on the game. That focus wavered a bit on Sunday, in part because of heavy winds on the court that kept threatening a wardrobe malfunction.
“It was killing me,” she said. “My dress was just going everywhere, and I couldn’t quite get control and I kept missing shots. You know, granted, (Azarenka) was playing in the same conditions and I just — you know, at some point, she was actually just playing better and handling the conditions better than me. But particularly on that side…was really tough.”
After several frustrating flubbed shots, Williams threw her racket in anger at one point; she later said that she was aware that nothing was over until the bitter end.
“Vika’s such a great opponent, such a great fighter,” Williams said, “and that’s why she’s been able to win multiple Grand Slams. That’s why it was never over until match point.”