"Serena can't run properly" says Patrick Mouratoglou

Serena Williams confirmed many fans worst fears when she announced her withdrawal from the US Open. Williams has not played since Wimbledon where she suffered a torn hamstring after slipping on the grass. Days ahead of the event rumblings started that Williams was not ready to go and it proved true.

On that Patrick Mouratoglou said:

“It’s obviously a disappointment but this time, it’s not like a door slammed shut. We were in the process to try to heal an injury. We knew we were late; we made everything possible. Day after day, we knew we had fewer chances. Ten days ago, the MRI showed that the injury (a torn hamstring) was still present. She couldn’t move. Where you are twenty days before a major event and you didn’t even run for six weeks and you can only play statically, you know it’s a bad start."

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Mouratoglou further said:

“We decided to make a final checkpoint a week before the event. The point was about moving without any pain. If this condition wouldn’t happen, it means that you know you can’t even practice. The withdrawal is the result of a process. We can’t say that the evolution of the process is bad; it’s just that it’s longer than expected.”