Patrick Mouratoglou, the coach whose attempts to guide Serena Williams mid-match during this year’s US Open final, has called for on-court coaching to be permitted.
His attempts led to the player’s explosive row with the umpire and a code violation en route to defeat.
But Mouratoglou has now admitted gesturing to Williams from the stands during her match with Japan’s Naomi Osaka.
It was in contravention of US Open and other Grand Slam tournament rules, even though the American player 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”.
The incident and the ensuing row resulted in a game penalty and a 17,000 dollars fine for Williams, and divided tennis by triggering a debate about sexism in the sport. Read more