Patrick Mouratoglou has enjoyed an incredibly successful coaching career, having helped several players clinch ATP and WTA titles.
The Frenchman’s best stint came with Serena Williams, whom he guided to 10 of her 23 Grand Slam crowns.
Mouratoglou has also triumphed alongside Holger Rune, Simona Halep, and Aravane Rezai, and took Marcos Baghdatis to his first and only major final.
He worked with arguably the greatest female player of all time, but never had the chance to coach any of the ‘big three’, whom he recently compared.
Patrick Mouratoglou picks the five best forehands in tennis history
In a post on Facebook, Mouratoglou selected the five players with the greatest forehands of all time, and while Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal made the list, there was no room for Novak Djokovic.
He picked Juan Martin del Potro in fifth place, stating his forehand was ‘huge and personal’.
“With a big, high preparation and perfect timing, he could dominate rallies effortlessly. For me, one of the best forehands in history,” he explained.
Mouratoglou then had 14-time major champion Pete Sampras in fourth.
“Sampras’ forehand was technically unique. Pulling his elbow back during preparation, he unleashed a shot that became emulated by generations. It helped him win 14 Grand Slams and cemented his status as a GOAT.”
Federer earned Mouratoglou’s spot at number three, with the 55-year-old describing his forehand as legendary and elegant.
“His secret? Turning his head to the right while hitting and keeping it there after contact, like a golfer. Pure precision and beauty, though for me, there was so much more to his game than just this shot.”
Mouratoglou said Fernando Gonzalez had the second-best forehand of all time, stating: “Gonzalez had a massive forehand.
“His topspin, sheer aggression, and ability to flatten out bombs with unbelievable power made his shot a weapon of mass destruction. Every swing demanded respect.”
In Mouratoglou’s opinion, Nadal had the greatest forehand in history.
“Nadal’s forehand is one-of-a-kind,” he said. “Cross-court or down-the-line, his topspin, placement, and court vision always open the court. Even running on the defensive, he can hit angles others can’t. Truly a forehand for the ages.”
What Toni Nadal noticed about Rafael Nadal’s forehand early on
In a 2020 interview with Eurosport, Nadal’s longtime coach and uncle, Toni Nadal, said: “I always wanted Rafael to be able to hit forehand winners, but he played with a lot of spin, maybe too much sometimes.
“When we arrived on the ATP tour, Rafael was really young, he was 16 years old, and then he started to play with older players, with people who were stronger.
“Then, Rafael started to hit the ball a little late; he started to play high above the net with extreme spin. I didn’t like too much that he played this way, but at the end I saw that it was a good way to win.
“His forehand is hit high above the net, but when the ball bounces, it keeps its speed, it accelerates. Rafael moves his wrist a little faster, and then the ball bounces, the ball has so much pace.
“On clay, he has seen that with his extreme top-spin forehands was putting opponents in a difficult position because every time he could hit the ball two or three times over the backhand of his opponents pushing them to hit it back at shoulder height.
“Then it was easy for him to get a short ball and hit to the other side. Though, he knows that on hard court it is different.”
Nadal finished his career with 92 ATP titles to his name, including 22 Grand Slams, 14 of which were won at the French Open.
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