Patrick Mouratoglou announced his coaching partnership split with Holger Rune on Monday.
It’s been a breathless few months for Patrick Mourtagolou who finds himself without a player to coach once again.
Re-appointed to coach Holger Rune in February, a player he has known since he was 13, the pair announced their second split in two years on Monday.
During his time coaching Simona Halep, he became implicated in her doping scandal, eventually taking responsibility for the failed drug test.
However, the Frenchman has indeed managed to forge a successful coaching career, guiding Serena Williams to 10 major titles.
Who did Patrick Mouratoglou say will be the next WTA grand slam winner?
The WTA Tour is no stranger to surprises, with this year’s Wimbledon no exception as Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff suffered shock defeats.
Speaking on the Tennis Weekly Podcast, via Youtube, Mouratoglou suggested that America’s Emma Navarro was hot on the heels of the top WTA stars and could be the next newbie to win a major.
He said: “I really like Emma Navarro. I saw her play Sabalenka at Indian Wells and I thought wow. I was impressed in the round I saw her play and I didn’t know her before.
“She was amazing in the way she plays. She has a champion’s mindset.”
Despite Mouratoglou’s coaching role with Rune coming to an end again, his 10-year stint with Williams still signposts him as a knowledgeable and authoritative voice in women’s tennis.
Emma Navarro is playing the best tennis of her career in 2024
Navarro has launched herself up the WTA rankings in what’s been a remarkable breakthrough year.
A successful junior and college player, Navarro’s career picked up serious momentum immediately at the start of the year as she collected her maiden WTA title at the Hobart International in Australia.
Seeded for the first time at a grand slam tournament at the 2024 Australian Open as No. 27, she reached the third round of a major for the first time in her career.
The 23-year-old later reached her first WTA 1000 quarter final by defeating the previous year’s runner-up, Aryna Sabalenka, giving her the biggest win by ranking in her career.
Her performance at Wimbledon saw her beat former grand slam champions Coco Gauff and Naomi Osaka as Navarro cruised into her maiden major quarter final.
Currently at career high ranking (15th), Navarro is now the fifth American woman sitting inside the top 15.
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