Sporting worlds often collide, and that has certainly been the case with tennis and golf over the years.
Legendary figure Rafael Nadal is one of many tennis stars to have taken to the golf course, with Andy Murray in that group.
Both icons can now spend more time on the course given that they have retired, although that has not stopped current stars Carlos Alcaraz and Casper Ruud from playing lately.
While there are various team events, such as the Ryder Cup and United Cup, golf and tennis share an individual nature.
Patrick Mouratoglou suggests why tennis players are so good at golf
According to renowned tennis coach Patrick Mouratoglou, there are significant similarities between the two sports.
He introduced a video on the topic on his Instagram with the caption: “Tennis players often do well in golf. Good hand-eye coordination, feel, and patience transfer easily!”
Mouratoglou said in the video: “I don’t think that golf helps playing tennis, but I’m sure that playing tennis helps playing golf.
“What is true is that most of the tennis players, the pros, they love golf. They spend a lot of time on the golf course. We see Carlos, we see Andy Murray, Rafa is crazy with golf, Casper Ruud is crazy with golf.
“Most of the guys love golf and spend a lot of hours playing golf, because I think there are a lot of similarities with tennis.
“Of course, there are a lot of differences too. But a racket sport, even though it is not a racket, you know, there’s this contact with the ball that is really addictive. It’s a very mental game, you need to be patient.
“I don’t think it helps your tennis but I think that tennis helps your golf for sure, because when you’re a good tennis player, naturally you’re going to become at least a good golf player, and for some, even a great one.
“Because of the contact with the ball, the technique, also the way they feel their body, they’re used to having the kinetic chain, so they know how to activate it.
“In a way, the golf swing is quite similar to a backhand. There are a lot of similarities that make them be able to be very competitive in another sport.”
Football stars have turned to tennis as opposed to golfers
Frenchman Mouratoglou is well-versed in the tennis coaching world, having recently worked with Naomi Osaka.
She is a former world number one and a four-time Grand Slam champion, and is one of many world-class players Mouratoglou has worked with.
His long list of former clients also includes the likes of Holger Rune, Simona Halep and none other than Serena Williams.
As he mentioned, it is rare for golfers to go in the other direction, although football superstar Paolo Maldini briefly turned to tennis after his retirement.
His fellow football legend Diego Forlan made a similar move, with many others incidentally turning to golf, such as Gareth Bale and Jimmy Bullard.
READ MORE: Multiple Grand Slam winner deserves an Australian Open wildcard over Nick Kyrgios
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