WHO: Tennis author, television host and current tennis coach of Serena Williams, Patrick Mouratoglou
WHAT: Crown Royal Apple “The Big Apple” cocktail paired with lobster crudo caprese of Maine lobster, burrata, marinated fennel, heirloom tomato and seafoam burrata brine; the deep blu signature crab cakes; and the deep blu seafood tower of Wianno oysters from Boston, served with housemade mango and Champagne mignonettes, the Florida stone crab claw and shrimp cocktail.
WHERE: deep blu Seafood Grille / 119 Dockside Circle, Jupiter / 561.273.6680 / deepblujupiter.com
1) Something that most people don’t realize about Serena Williams is: that Serena is a real boss. She knows what she wants, and she has the highest level of expectations for herself, and for all of the people working for her to help her achieve her goals, whether on the sports side or on the business side.
2) Coaching arguably the single greatest women’s tennis player of all time means: that I get to make a difference. When I started coaching Serena, I wanted her to win more than she had before, return to the world No. 1 ranking, and remain there longer than she ever had before. When I began my career as a tennis coach 15 years ago, I had the goal to one day coach players and win Grand Slams with them. I worked really hard for many years to achieve this, and now I am blessed to be able to work with the greatest of all time.
3) Winning the first three Grand Slam events of 2015, yet being unable to claim another U.S. Open championship to complete the calendar year Grand Slam was: very disappointing. From the end of 2014 until the 2015 U.S. Open, we had a fantastic run of four Grand Slam titles in a row. Winning the 2015 U.S. Open would have made history; achieving a calendar Grand Slam, and equaling the most Grand Slam titles of the Open era. Unfortunately, we lost in the semifinals. It was very disappointing, but it was something that we have to accept. It proved once again that anything is possible in sports, and that we cannot win all of the time.
4) Something that most fans of professional tennis don’t completely realize is: just how much work and dedication it takes to become the best player in the world. Millions of young players all over the world wake up every morning with the will to become professional tennis players. Serena has been dominating the game for so long now, but to achieve that, she has had to be the most focused, hardest working, and the most dedicated player of all, which she has for almost 30 years of her life, every day of her life.
5) When it’s all over, I think the experts will say that the “Dynamic Duo” of myself and Serena Williams were: a coach who was able to help an exceptional player realize her full potential. But I think it is very important first to recognize how much Richard Williams [father of Venus and Serena] achieved, doing something unique in this sport. From scratch he built two incredible players, two world No. 1 players, and brought them to the very top. Richard built Serena, and made her a champion, and I believe I helped her become historic during the second half of her career.
Since Patrick Mouratoglou began coaching Serena Williams in 2012, she has won 91 percent of her Grand Slam matches against opponents ranked in the top 10, a 26 percent increase previous to their time together. Founder of The Mouratoglou Tennis Academy, Mouratoglou also serves as President of the Champ’ Seed Foundation in France. He is the author of two books: Educate to Win and The Coach. His show, “The Coach,” is broadcast in 54 countries worldwide on Eurosport Television. Additionally, Mouratoglou serves as a contributor to several international tennis magazines and a tennis blog with Yahoo Sports in six countries. A native Frenchman, Mouratoglou spends time in Palm Beach Gardens while working with Williams, and currently resides in Nice, France.
ABOUT THE COCKTAIL:
Crown Royal Apple “The Big Apple”
1.5 oz Crown Royal Apple
1 oz cranberry juice
.75 oz agave nectar
1 splash ginger ale
1 cinnamon-dusted apple slice
Pour the Crown Royal Apple, cranberry juice and agave nectar in a mixing glass. Add ice, shake vigorously, then pour into a snifter. Top with a splash of ginger ale, and garnish with a cinnamon-dusted apple slice.
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