Down and out in Paris: The man who rescued Serena Williams

It was, the premature obituaries proclaimed, the beginning of the end for Serena Williams.

The indomitable figurehead of women's tennis had been humiliated and cowed -- turfed out of the 2012 French Open in the first round by an unheralded and unseeded opponent.

After an injury-blighted few seasons that saw her sink to 175 in the world rankings, Williams had hit one of the biggest troughs in her career.

Given all she had achieved, it would have been easy to throw in the towel -- but even at her lowest ebb, Serena's desire to clamber back to the top was insatiable

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But she needed help and, while still in Paris, she found it in the shape of coach Patrick Mouratoglou, with whom she has been linked romantically.