Serena Williams’ ex-coach tells why American is ‘real GOAT’ and not Margaret Court

Coach Patrick Mouratoglou has no doubt that Serena Williams has done enough to be considered “the greatest of all time” ahead of Margaret Court. 

Mouratoglou, who started working with Williams in mid-2012, enjoyed a very successful partnership with the American. During their time together, the American tennis icon won 10 of her 23 Grand Slams. 

At one point, Williams breaking Court’s all-time record of 24 Grand Slams seemed inevitable. But in the end, Williams didn’t manage to tie or break Court’s record. Still, there are many arguing that Williams is the real GOAT despite not having the all-time Grand Slam record.

Coach Mouratoglou certainly agrees with that claim, highlighting that half of Court’s Slam success came before the Open Era started in 1968. 

“So Margaret Court is bigger champion than Serena?” the question Mouratoglou received read. Answering the question, Mouratoglou very directly shared his opinion: “No because Margaret Court record was established before the Open Era, when tennis was not a professional sport. Cannot compare. Serena is the GOAT of women’s tennis.”

No because Margaret Court record was established before the Open Era, when tennis was not a professional sport. Cannot compare. Serena is the Goat of Women tennis. https://t.co/PgLKp5h1oF

— Patrick Mouratoglou (@pmouratoglou) January 5, 2024

Williams a bit surprisingly didn’t manage to break Court’s Grand Slam record

Following her 2017 Australian Open win, Williams improved to 23 Grand Slams but also missed the remainder of the season due to pregnancy. When Williams made her comeback the following year, it didn’t take long before she regained her top form. 

In 2018, Williams reached Grand Slam finals at Wimbledon and the US Open. Although Williams was regarded as the favorite in both finals, she lost to Angelique Kerber in the Wimbledon final and was also beaten by Naomi Osaka in the US Open final, respectively.

The following year, Williams reached her third and fourth post-pregnancy Grand Slam finals. Again, Williams picked up two surprise defeats as the American ended on the losing side to Simona Halep in the 2019 Wimbledon final before also losing to Bianca Andreescu in the US Open final two months later.

Williams had two more strong Grand Slam runs before retiring as she was a US Open semifinalist in 2020 and also reached the Australian Open semifinal in 2021. 

Before losing her last four Grand Slam finals, Williams was 23-6 in her Slam finals.