Patrick Mouratoglou is a tennis veteran. The 54-year-old has been coaching since 1999 but is perhaps best known for his ten-year tenure (from 2012-2022) coaching Serena Williams. Because of his long coaching career, he has a lot of insight into the state of the game.
The state of the game has come into question in recent months as the Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA) issued a lawsuit against the ATP, WTA, and ITF on March 18, 2025. Though many are trying to downplay the lawsuit, the ATP's reported attempt to coerce Reilly Opelka from being involved and named in the lawsuit indicates it is a big deal.
Mouratoglou provides common-sense solutions to the current problems in professional tennis. Reform would not have to be difficult or require legal action, just careful thought and planning.
What Patrick Mouratoglou said
The PTPA shared Mourtaglou's video on social media. He covered three issues hindering the game: (1) Compensation, (2) Health, and (3) Drug testing.
1. Mouratoglou on players being fairly compensated
Patrick Mouratoglou believes that the global sport of tennis should adequately compensate more than the Top 100 men's and women's players to make a living. He describes the financial situation of players ranked in the 200s as playing but losing money. Mouratoglou says that the Top 500 on each tour should be adequately compensated. The tours and tournaments need to share more earnings with the players, commensurate with other sports.
2. Mouratoglou on player health
Patrick Mouratoglou confirms what top players have been saying for years: Using different balls at different tournaments causes injuries. The weight and firmness of different balls affect players who repeatedly hit them, and the changes affect the tendons in their wrists. He understands sponsorships drive the differences in balls per tournament, but he believes uniformity should prevail for the players' long-term health.
Coach Patrick Mouratoglou agrees. Professional tennis needs reform now.
— Professional Tennis Players Association (@ptpaplayers) April 15, 2025
🎥 via @pmouratoglou pic.twitter.com/t0URhR4iWZ
He also talks about scheduling late-night matches. While he knows that there is no end-time to a tennis match, starting a men's singles five-set match at 9 or 10 p.m. local time means that the player may not get to sleep until 6 a.m. the next morning after playing, recovering, receiving treatment, and fulfilling press obligations.
3. Mouratoglou on drug testing
Drug testing is a hot-button issue given that the World No. 1 Jannik Sinner is currently serving a three-month suspension for accidental contamination.
Mouratoglou seemingly sides with Sinner in that the purpose of drug testing is not to punish those accidentally contaminated (as his former player, Simona Halep, was). It is to catch those who are intentionally doping.
He understands that player testing must be random, but cannot figure out why some players are tested 30 times and others 80 times. Mouratoglou also says the ITIA (International Tennis Integrity Agency) has too much authority, making rules, enforcing rules, and penalizing players. He says universal treatment of players' cases should be the norm, which has not been the case, as Halep waited years for resolution, whereas Sinner's case was resolved within months.