The coach whose attempts to guide Serena Williams mid-match during this year’s U.S. Open final led to her explosive row with the umpire and a code violation en route to defeat, has called for on-court coaching to be permitted.
Patrick Mouratoglou admitted gesturing to Williams from the stands during her match with Japan’s Naomi Osaka—in contravention of U.S. Open and other grand slam tournament rules—but the American was left incensed at the umpire’s strict interpretation of the rule. She said she had not seen Mouratoglou’s signal and that she had “never cheated in her life.”
