‘I Had Panic Attacks’- Serena Williams’ Ex-Coach Patrick Mouratoglou Reveals Daunting Childhood and Why He Took to Tennis

Patrick Mouratoglou’s narrative, which began when he was just 4 years old, embodies the saying “started from the bottom; now we’re here.” He is someone who has trained some of the biggest names in the tennis arena, starting with Serena Williams and rising star Coco Gauff. However, what ignited this enduring passion for the game, molding him into the well-known individual he is today?

Recently, the 23-time Grand Slam champion’s former coach revealed how his daunting childhood memories created his way into the tennis world while he tried to escape his reality with the help of the sport.

Serena Williams’ ex-coach past that got him into tennis 

In a recent conversation with Rachel Stuhlmann, the French tennis coach opened up about how he realized that tennis was his passion at a very young age. He stated, “My childhood was really chaotic, not to say more, and I thought I would not be able to do anything in my life because I was unable to connect with people.” 

Along with that, the 53-year-old tennis coach clearly recalled that he was not good at school, nor was he good at talking to people. Further, he also detailed how tennis was something that gave him the confidence to talk to people and to see that he could be good at something, while he was struggling with almost everything during his early childhood.

Mouratoglou told Stuhlmann, “I was shy to a point you have no idea. I was extremely anxious as a kid, I was having panic attacks every night before going to sleep. Tennis saved me, that’s why I love tennis so much. Tennis saved me because that was the only place where I felt good at something.” 

Moreover, once Patrick Mouratoglou knew that tennis was everything that he wanted, he kept on running behind his dream and was one of the most successful tennis coaches the sport has ever seen. Not only that but in the past, he also revealed that he created a part of his dream after entering as a pro player.

When Williams’ former coach revealed the road map of his tennis dream

As someone who started playing tennis at the age of 4, Patrick Mouratoglou’s parents always wanted him to focus more on studying than on tennis. But he knew what he was doing at every step of his life. Mouratoglou stated, “After I’d laid down my dreams of being a pro player, I decided to dedicate my life to helping young players achieve their dreams in tennis. So I created Mouratoglou Academy in 1996 and started to work as a coach.” 

Along with that, the coach emphasized how he loves the way each tennis player brings a totally different challenge to coaching, while his goal is to find better ways so that the players can win matches and do great on the court.