Her coach Patrick Mouratoglou posted a picture of them on Wednesday, arms entwined, at Tuesday’s prestigious ITF Champions’ Dinner, seeming to confirm one of the worst-kept secrets in tennis: that theirs goes well beyond a pure player-coach relationship.
Results have reflected the stability he has brought to her, and after just two defeats all year Williams goes into today’s semi-final of the French Open against Italy’s Sara Errani a very strong favourite.
Whatever it is between her and her coach, it is clearly working for Serena, who in the space of a year has gone from suffering her worst loss at a Grand Slam to sweeping all before her, coinciding with her hooking up alongside one of Europe’s most high-profile coaches.
The evolution of their relationship has been shrouded in mystery but what is known is that he was until relatively recently married, which is no longer the case.
Maria Sharapova will have to end a nine-year losing streak against
Serena Williams if she is to take home a second successive French
Open title.
Williams, routed last year's runner-up Sara Errani 6-0 6-1 in only
46 minutes to reach her first final at Roland Garros since she won
her only title in 2002.The world's top two players reached the final in contrasting fashion today, with Sharapova battling for two hours and 10 minutes to see off Victoria Azarenka 6-1 2-6 6-4.
The Italian won only eight points in the first set, and had managed just 10 when Williams moved 3-0 up in the second.
The American had looked a little shaky in her quarter-final on Tuesday, fighting back from a break down in the decider to beat Svetlana Kuznetsova, but she was a woman on a mission today.
Errani finally got on the board in the fourth game of the second set, raising her arms aloft, but she had little to celebrate as Williams swiftly reeled off the next three games, dropping just 18 points and finishing with her fifth ace.
It was more like a training than a grand slam semi-final match. Serena is just on another level. Period.
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