Serena Williams Struggling to Regain Form; Coach Mouratoglou Admits the American Faces a Difficult Road in Her Career

Serena Williams of the U.S. reacts during her women's singles quarter-final match against Zhang Shuai of China at the Rome Masters tennis tournament May 16, 2014. REUTERS

Serena Williams has failed to win a Grand Slam in the 2014 tennis season. Serena's coach Patrick Mouratoglou revealed in a recent interview that his talent is struggling to regain form. Mouratoglou said that Williams is in a "difficult period" in her life.

Serena has struggled to reach a finals match in three of the four Grand Slam tournaments so far. She was ousted in the fourth round and the second round of the Australian Open and French Open, respectively. In the recently concluded Wimbledon Championships, she suffered a surprise third round exit after losing to France's Alize Cornet followed by yet another early exit in the women's double competition alongside her sister Venus.

Serena's coach Mouratoglou admitted that the top-ranked female tennis athlete is facing a series of challenges in the current season. "Serena is clearly going through a difficult period," Mouratouglou told France's Tennis Magazine. Mouratoglou added that they both had a long talk following Serena's participation at Wimbledon. He said that the American is now focused to devote every minute to work and train hard enough.

"Today, she is in a state of mind where she wants to train hard to come back strong."

Serena's shocking exit at the Wimbledon was reportedly due to a "viral illness." However, some people speculated that Serena may have had a rift with Mouratoglou, to whom she was romantically linked in recent months.

Serena also posted a series of tweets lately which further fuelled the impression that she may indeed be going through a tough time right now.

I'm getting better day by day not too fast. But better... I love you all thanks for the support. One day at a time xxx S
— Serena Williams (@serenawilliams) July 5, 2014

I love you. Thank you for all the support. Words cannot express how much I love my fans and friends, and family. Yours always. Xxx S
— Serena Williams (@serenawilliams) July 3, 2014

The 44-year-old tennis coach was quick to dismiss the thought. "I never talked about things relating to private life and I still do not want to talk about it," Mouratoglou further told Tennis Magazine. "There have been complicated things, but it is certain that Serena is in a difficult phase and I'll leave it there."

Serena has won three singles titles so far including the Brisbane International, Miami Open, and the Italian Open.