How Serena Williams’ former coach brought Simona Halep back from the brink of tennis retirement
Simona Halep holds her trophy after winning the French Open on July 7, 2018. Serena Williams was once a champion again. But now she is suffering from a knee injury caused by a rough practice session on July 7. / AP Photo
When Serena Williams announced her retirement on July 7, 2013, she was a World No. 1 who made three Grand Slam finals in four years.
Williams was 30 years old, the mother of three and the newly minted American Sports Hall of Fame inductee. She had not won a single major title yet, but this was, by any measure, a world apart from the seething pile that was tennis.
In just four years, she went from an unknown rookie to the best female player in the world. By the time she announced her plans to return to the game in 2014, she was arguably the world’s best woman, and one of the best in the sport.
But that night, she was struggling with a knee injury, the result of the training mishaps she had suffered at the hands of her former coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, who used to oversee Williams’ workouts.
Williams was eventually diagnosed with meniscus tear in her right knee — “the same knee that she broke while filming the scene of ‘Thriller’,” according to Mouratoglou — but her game and her outlook on life remained as solid as ever.
She returned to the tennis court four months later, a year and a half after her retirement. This time, though, she had been hobbled by a knee injury.
“She tried to return, but then she was told that if she plays for an additional year and there is no improvement, she will have to retire,” Mouratoglou told The Associated Press.
Mouratoglou left Williams for his previous coaching job at the time, but the results were different. She ended the year ranked No. 1, and won the mixed doubles title at the US Open, the first major singles title for her in eight years.
Since then, Williams has gone through three knee surgeries, and
