“There’s a little contradiction” – Serena Williams’ ex-coach Patrick Mouratoglou weighs in on Carlos Alcaraz’s ‘enjoying tennis’ comment

Following his victory at the Indian Wells Masters last month, Carlos Alcaraz’s comments about not prioritizing winning trophies were addressed by Serena Williams’ former coach Patrick Mouratoglou, who shared his thoughts on the matter.

Despite a slow start to his season, Alcaraz showed exceptional performance in Indian Wells, only dropping two sets on his way to successfully defending his 2023 crown in the Californian desert. When asked about his mindset during a press conference following his title victory, the 20-year-old revealed that his focus is solely on enjoying his game while competing on the court.

“If I win tournaments or not, I don’t care. It’s about enjoying playing tennis, once I step on the court, putting my game. It’s what only matters,”the Spaniard told the media in early March. “That’s why I’m really, really happy to lift this trophy, because I found myself at this tournament, and I felt really, really good.”

Patrick Mouratoglou appeared to have discovered inconsistencies in the statement made by Carlos Alcaraz on Tuesday (March 2). The renowned coach utilized his Instagram reels to assert that although the World No. 2 was said to be “enjoying the process”, he still held a strong desire to win the Indian Wells title.

“What Carlos Alcaraz is saying is that he doesn’t care if he wins tournaments or not, that it’s about enjoying the process,”Patrick Mouratoglou said. “But in the same sentence, he says, ‘That’s why I’m so happy that I lift the trophy,’ so there’s a little contradiction.”

Additionally, the Frenchman partially concurred with Alcaraz’s perspective on competing.

“And I think that what he means is that when you are competing, you cannot focus on winning,”he added. “It brings crazy pressure. It doesn’t help you focus on how to win.”

“Patrick Mouratoglou on Carlos Alcaraz’s Shift in Mindset: From Playing for Enjoyment to Playing for Results”

Patrick Mouratoglou, Serena Williams’ former coach, also explained why Carlos Alcaraz was unable to make an impact on the men’s tour last year despite winning Wimbledon. The 53-year-old stated that the Spaniard had succumbed to pressure and was solely focused on winning towards the end of the 2023 season.

“Everybody was saying that what was great with him was that he was smiling all the time, playing tennis, and then he started to win a lot,”Mouratoglou said. “And then suddenly, much more expectation, and probably his mindset switched from playing the tennis he loves to play to having to win, and then suddenly he couldn’t anymore.”

Mouratoglou concluded his reel by stating that what he believed to be the key to consistently winning trophies is the ideal approach.

“Focus on the process, ‘What do I need to do to have a good chance to win and lift trophies?’ And that is the best way to win them,”he said.