Serena Williams is a global icon today. But that is no surprise, as the record 23-time Grand Slam winner always had it coming, since her childhood. Patrick Mouratoglou, Serena’s coach, recently shared a video of her from the late ’90s when she was fairly new to the world of tennis.

In the video, 11-year-old Serena was asked if she were to become a tennis player, who would she want to be like. Little but confident, Serena hesitated just for a moment and replied, “Well, I would like other people to be like me.” Even the interviewer was amazed by young Williams’ answer.

Coach praising her attitude and talent, captioned the post, “25 years ago, I would’ve LOVED to invest in Serena’s future as I am sure I would have believed in her. Today, NFTs allow us to do that.”

Also Read: ‘Always Tricky’: Stefanos Tsitsipas Dusts Off Australian Open Setback As He Moves Indoors for ATP Rotterdam

Serena Williams and Patrick Mouratoglou’s successful partnership

The French coach had many tennis talents coming in and out of his academy then. He started off with Marcos Baghdatis in 1999 when Serena Williams was just a 4-year pro in Tennis and yet to win any major title. She did win the 1999 US Open as her 1st Grand Slam at the end of that year.

After training a number of players, Patrick and Serena finally started off their tennis journey together in 2012. By that time, Serena was an established star in the WTA, winning 13 Grand Slam titles in her 16-year-long career.

Since their partnership as coach and tutee, they won 10 Grand Slam titles and dominated every surface of tennis. Notably, Patrick also guides Stefanos Tsitsipas and Coco Gauff.

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Patrick’s reference to NFT and Serena record in NFT

Non-fungible Token or NFT, as abbreviated, is a booming market right now. These unique collectibles are sold in millions. NFTs are designed to give you something that can’t be copied: ownership of the work only other than the original artist.

The on-court queen has set a record in this field as well, as her 1999 SI For Kids Series 4 Serena Williams Rookie card has sold for $117,000. This is the highest amount for a women’s sports card. Amazingly, all top 3 spots are occupied by the US legend. Her other two cards were valued at  $96,000 and $ 44,280, respectively.