Who says tennis and glamour don’t mix? Lately, a few influencers have been making sure the sport has its fair share of glitz. Morgan Riddle, the girlfriend of Taylor Fritz, is one of them. The ‘New York Times’ even dubbed her “the most popular woman in men’s tennis.” She’s often spotted on the sidelines in eye-catching outfits and has built a strong social media following. Alan Broomfield, a former tennis player and Frances Tiafoe’s girlfriend, is also making waves with her courtside presence. But Rachael Stuhlmann? She’s taken things to another level by honing her skills under the tutelage of Serena Williams‘ ex-coach.
Stuhlmann is often called the world’s No. 1 tennis influencer. She started out as an amateur player before shifting to media, where she now covers major tennis events and creates content. Recently, she’s been sharpening her game under none other than Serena Williams’ ex-coach, Patrick Mouratoglou.
In a recent training session, she was seen hitting with the French coach as he gave her some key tips. Mouratoglou shared the moment on social media, explaining, “In this session with @rstuhlmann, I’m showing her the importance of creating more margin over the net and how moving towards the ball allows her to accelerate the game. It’s all about taking control and being aggressive!”
But did you know the student had been the master once? The social media influencer was offered a surprise coaching opportunity at the Australian Open this year. The former LSU player, who has over 300,000 Instagram followers, originally planned to be in Melbourne for content creation. However, things took an unexpected turn when her friend, Varvara Lepchenko, needed a last-minute coach.”Earlier today I got a call from a good friend of mine asking if I could step in as their last-minute coach for this year’s event. I’m beyond excited for the chance to get on the AO courts and support her in any way I can. You never really know what opportunities will come your way at these events, and this one is definitely a fun one for me. I’m all in. Here’s to making it in the main,” she shared on Instagram. Unfortunately, Lepchenko fell short in the qualifiers.
Meanwhile, Mouratoglou is no stranger to the big stage. He coached Serena Williams from 2012 to 2022, helping her win 11 Grand Slam titles. Over the years, he’s worked with stars like Coco Gauff, Stefanos Tsitsipas, and Simona Halep. Now, his latest protegee? Naomi Osaka.
Naomi Osaka opens up on her equation with Patrick Mouratoglou
After parting ways with Wim Fissette—the coach who guided her to Grand Slam titles in 2020 and 2021—Naomi Osaka linked up with Mouratoglou. At first, she wasn’t sure about the partnership as she “didn’t know if I would get along with him,”
So far, their journey has been a mixed bag. Osaka made it to the Round of 16 at the China Open, finished as a finalist at the ASB Classic (though she had to retire due to injury), and showed promise at the Australian Open before withdrawing in the third round with abdominal pain. A first-round exit at Indian Wells raised concerns, but she bounced back with a strong opening-round win in Miami. The Japanese tennis star defeated Yuliia Starodubtseva in a thrilling three-setter.
After the match, in an interview with the Tennis Channel, she revealed her equation with the new coach. “I don’t know, I’m quite introverted, so it’s really hard to get me to talk. And that was a bit hard for him. Now, our dynamic looks a lot better, and hopefully, we can get a lot more matches then,” the former World No.1 said. Next up, she faces 24th seed Liudmila Samsonova—with Mouratoglou in her corner.
Tennis has always been about skill and endurance, but it seems like a touch of glamour is becoming part of the game too. Do you think this trend is here to stay?
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