Paris: Serena Williams's coach Patrick Mouratoglou said he was confident that the 23-time Grand Slam singles champion would take part in the French Open this month.

The 36-year-old Serena, who has not played on clay this season, withdrew from the Madrid and Rome tournaments because she was not ready to compete.

"Serena will play the French Open to win it. Can she do it? Serena can achieve anything... After being her coach for six years, I'm even more sure of that statement.

"We worked with my team in order to prepare a programme for her to get her back in best shape including nutrition, fitness and of course, tennis. So far, things are going very well.

"She is working extremely hard, she is improving in all the areas fast. I am very satisfied and confident that she will be ready for Roland Garros," Mouratoglou said in an interview with WTA.

The Frenchman, however, admitted Serena returned too soon after her pregnancy, which resulted in early exits in Indian Wells and Miami in March. "After her pregnancy, Serena had to rebuild her body. When she arrived at the Mouratoglou Tennis Academy, around April 30, we realised that she was not ready yet," said Mouratoglou.

"Serena clearly came back too early. Despite not being ready, she needed to feel the competition, so she decided to play even though far from being at 100 per cent.

"It was a good experience as she realised all the work that needed to be done for her to be really ready."

Serena has been in good spirits at the academy, Mouratoglou emphasised. "What I find the most encouraging is her enthusiasm, her motivation and the quality of her work. Thanks to that, she is making impressive progress.

"She is hitting the ball great already and her body is getting back to what it used to be. The goal is that she comes back even stronger than before," he said. Agencies