Sport is ruthless but Williams will not give up, vows coach Mouratoglou

Patrick Mouratoglou insists Serena Williams will not give up hope of matching Margaret’s Court grand slam record after her US Open defeat to Bianca Andreescu.

Williams lost 6-3 7-5 to 19-year-old Andreescu at Flushing Meadows – her fourth successive defeat in grand slam finals.

The 37-year-old last won a slam final in January 2017 and remains one shy of Australian Court’s haul of 24 major triumphs.

Coach Mouratoglou has come to Williams’ defence and is adamant there should be no doubting her desire.

“Sport can be ruthless,” Mouratoglou wrote in a message posted on his official Twitter account.

“You always have the choice to look at the glass half full or half empty. Serena has lost the last four grand slam finals but she has also reached four grand slam finals not even two years after becoming a mother, being almost 38 years old.

“This is an incredible achievement even though the goal is to win tournaments. I am so proud of her and what she is able to achieve.

My thoughts waking up this morning. pic.twitter.com/23w2YDrZ1J

— Patrick Mouratoglou (@pmouratoglou) September 8, 2019

“Now there is always the option to give up, advised by those who let their frustration rule their opinions.

“The other option is to continue the fight for winning other majors. It is a deep plan to work so hard, give it your all and fail.

“One quality of a champion is to never give up, whatever they go through, until they reach their goal. Serena is the ultimate champion. Sport can be ruthless, but that is also why we love it.”

For a spell in the second set, Williams took the initiative against Andreescu, who let a 5-1 lead and championship point slip away.

However, the youngster regained her composure to claim a maiden title at the highest level in her first grand slam final.