Serena Williams' coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, does not rate her forehand the best in the women's game but does say she has the best backhand, according to a poll by the *New York Times*.
Various experts were asked to name the top five strokes in the men's and women's game, with Williams voted to have the best forehand and the second-best backhand, behind Maria Sharapova. Petra Kvitova was second in the forehand category.
"Intriguingly, Williams’s own coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, did not put her forehand in the top three, selecting Ivanovic, Stosur and Kuznetsova. But those who coach against her did not hesitate," said the newspaper. "Wim Fissette, who coaches Simona Halep, and Sam Sumyk, who works with Victoria Azarenka, both ranked Williams."
On the backhand, the newspaper noted, "A tight race between Sharapova and Williams, and this time Mouratoglou did rank his own player first."