Champion Mindset: Coach Yourself to Win at Life

by Patrick Mouratoglou

From legendary tennis coach Patrick Mouratoglou comes a breakthrough motivational and inspirational guide to help readers achieve new success in any endeavor.

Superstar coach Patrick Mouratoglou knows what it takes to win. An international icon in the world of tennis, he coached Serena Williams for a decade at the height of her career. More recently he’s worked with top-seeded players including Coco Gauff, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Simona Halep, and Holger Rune. Now, in Champion Mindset, Mouratoglou distills his lifetime of coaching excellence into ten commandments that are applicable to achieving success in all aspects of life, not just the court. Because the truth is, tennis is a mental game that is won or lost in the player’s mind, and Mouratoglou’s emphasis on coaching the player’s mindset is both what makes him singularly successful as a tennis coach and also, now, so effective in helping the rest of us reach our goals. He shows us, for example, how to embrace the “Progress Zone”—the opposite of the comfort zone, the progress zone challenges and changes us and keeps us moving forward. He teaches us how to “Modify Your Inner Language” to turn every moment into an opportunity instead of a place to hesitate or doubt our intentions. How to “Take Responsibility for Results”—and really embody it.
 
In addition to being an extraordinary self-help book in the truest use of that term, Champions Mindset is a gripping personal story in which Coach Patrick reveals his own difficult but rewarding journey. A sickly child who lived an isolated life—he was ridiculed in school and suffered from debilitating shyness—he triumphed, bit by bit, slowly gaining self‑esteem and confidence. And then, for the next nearly 30 years, fashioning the lessons he learned on his own into a program for coaching athletes, helping them realize their dreams while tapping into their immense potential. 
 
And sharing those lessons, insights, and experiences of building world-class players into a roadmap to help every reader find their own path to success, however we define it.

Genres: Sports, Self Help, Nonfiction, Psychology

224 pages, Hardcover

Published May 13, 2025

Reviews

[Jerry]

It's a bit strange to imagine such a confident, high-profile coach as Patrick Mouratoglou as a shy, anxiety-driven boy. But this book narrates his own life story, in his own words, while dispersing coaching wisdom to readers.

As Patrick states, after 30 years of coaching, he's learned the greatest victory a tennis player achieves is the one over themselves. What a powerful quote for a mentally-taxing game like tennis.

Good book, not excellent, but fun for tennis players/fans.

[Becky Skinner]

Cool read! I miss my high school tennis days. Mind over matter. Work hard. Find your passion and fire.

[Jjpoor]

من ترجیحم این بود بیشتر خاطرات باشه تا درس موفقیت و اینجورچیزا. خاطراتش جالب بود. مخصوصا اون قسمتش که در مورد ارغوان رضایی بود و هی اشاره میکرد فرهنگ متفاوت داشته.

[Sandra]

Un imprescindible, no del tenis, sino de la vida.

[LiA]

Patrick Mouratoglou is clearly one of the best coaches in the modern tennis era - just watch his YouTube tutorials and/or shorts or visit one of his Mouratoglou Academies in several locations all over the world for an tennis camp for leisure time players or training for future tennis pros, and you know what I mean. Does this have him qualify as a book author offering future business men and women advice re: How to be successful in life? I am not so sure. True, the book includes numerous tips and recommendations, principles concerning the do's and don't's, which are definitely helpful in the corporate world and beyond. Is it worthwhile? Well, it is clearly interesting. Because the examples he uses, when explaining its coaching system (never wait for the ball, approach it! - and more) stem from the world of tennis. Of course, the wisdom of Grand Slam winners or competing athletes can clearly be transferred to any other industry: keep your vision, think big, don't be intimidated. But all in all, "Champion Mindset" lacks a bit of the systematic, you'd normally find in this kind of "Ratgeberliteratur" (self-help literature), as we'd call it in German. "Champion Mindset" is rather an autobiography, a mixed bag of anecdotes about famous tennis players and the role of their coach, lots of insights and stories tennis aficionados will love - PM and Serena Williams, PM and Simona Halep -, stories about winners and losers, about victories and defeats. It is fun to read, and never boring, and another nice idea of a man, who loves his own success story in life, who loves dedicating himself to ever new projects, who never stops working and expanding his business, and who lives the passion of tennis. If you love sports and books from the orbit of athletes: I'd say: Just go for it. [I received an advance copy of the e-book thanks to netgalley.com, and this is my honest review.]

[Jacob Jin]

"Champion Mindset" by Patrick Mouratoglou is an inspiring novel about how to win not in tennis, but in life altogether. The book is about the habits and your own mental mindset needed to succeed in both sports and the real world. In the book, Mouratoglou explains how a person's mentality is very important into succeeding. He coached many famous players like Serena Williams, and Halep, and how he got to know each player and coaching them at their pace, while also putting discipline and strictness on their head. He also shares peronsal stories from himself to show how someone can overcome fear and failiure, and become the person you want to be. Something I liked about the book was how it related to my tennis life, and how I got to know what some of the best players in the world were like. Another thing was how encouraging it was to me, as a tennis player, and gave some mental advice that would be handy in a match. His advice not only applies to athletes but for anyone who wants to turn out on the top. You can't win with just your skills, you need a CHAMPION MINDSET.

[Ben V]

His youtube shorts are entertaining but not a fan of his actually tennis coaching lol. Nevertheless, a very motivational and inspiring memoir/self growth book. He motivates you by speaking about how he was able to transform his life from a shy, anxious, bullied kid into one filled with meaning, purpose, and passion and what mentality and support is required to get there.

I really liked the fusion of tennis into these life lessons as well. He talks about his journey building his tennis academy and coaching many high profile players including Serena Williams. A lot of the ups and downs and abrupt ending of relationships was where he learned the most. What I took away the most was his focus on observation and the emphasis he put on the mental side of the match, not just the physical. Life is basically a tennis match with continuous inner monologue that can dictate our ‘life match’.

I was throughly engaged the entire way and this is far more than just a tennis book!

[Dean Kraft]

I enjoyed the book and Mouratoglou gave me some new ways to think about the champion mindset and the development of that approach not just in athletics but in life. It reminds me quite a bit of the positive coaching formula developed at the University of Missouri.

I really enjoy Moratoglou’s Instagram posts and found much of what is taught in the book brought out in those posts.

I took one star away because I wanted more depth on his coaching tennis players specifically. It was probably written before he started working with Naomi Osaka. That’s a player coach relationship I’m very curious about. I think he is the right coach to get her elevated to grand slam level tennis again.

[Wilnard Tan]

There is a great degree of an inner game in tennis. Patrick here highlights this through his book. It brings me into the life and mind of a coach who had to struggle to build what he had. More than a coach, it shows the life of another human - flawed but with great gifts.

[Jeff Wait]

If you want the sports-themed self help book of the year, here it is — from the guy who coached Serena Williams. It delivers exactly what you want from this type of book and gives you a great mix of advice and anecdotes.

[Aaron Cherniavsky]

interesting book about coaching and mindset lessons for very high performance

[Elena Kirsteins]

Great book for tennis fans, but also has many meaningful life lessons. Also loved how he shouted out his haters for being his motivators in the acknowledgments section.

[Giselle Vazquez]

Excellent book! Thank you Patrick Moratoglou for putting in simple terms what players pay for learning!

[Kristina Woods]

I picked up the audiobook version of The Champion Mindset on a whim during a long drive, and I'm glad I did. My wife coaches high school and select softball, so I'm always on the lookout for insights that might be useful for her or her athletes—and this book definitely delivered.

What really stood out to me was just how intense the training and lifestyle requirements are for elite athletes like Serena Williams at her peak. Mouratoglou pulls back the curtain on what it actually takes to compete at that level, and it's eye-opening. The dedication, discipline, and mental fortitude required goes far beyond what most people imagine.

Honestly, I think this would be an excellent read for young student athletes, especially those in the 13-16 age range. It gives a realistic picture of what becoming "the best of the best" actually requires, which could help them understand what they need to do to reach their next goal—whether that's winning their next game or pursuing bigger dreams down the road.

If you're involved in sports or coaching, or if you're just curious about the mindset behind championship-level performance, this is worth your time.