Rick Macci recalls the period when he trained the Williams sisters, Venus and Serena, in a recent social media post where he praised the confidence they had in their game from a young age. The renowned American coach was key to the rise of both American stars.
Both sisters began their training at the Rick Macci Academy when Serena was 9 years old and Venus was 11. They were already considered two players with great potential. The Williams sisters started their tennis careers coached by their father, Richard Williams, which was complemented a few years later by their training at Macci's academy.
The American coach has been instrumental in the development of many great tennis players, training historical stars like Andy Roddick, Maria Sharapova, Jennifer Capriati, and Mary Pierce, among others; in addition, of course, to the sisters Venus and Serena Williams.
Venus Williams's recent return to the Court at DC Open
Recently, Venus returned to the courts after 15 months since her last match at the Miami Open 2024 (a loss to Diana Shnaider in the first round). The 45-year-old player still refuses to retire and showed that she still has the level to compete at the highest level, debuting with a victory in doubles—teaming up with Hailey Baptiste—and a notable win in singles against world No. 35 Peyton Stearns, who is only 24 years old. In fact, when Stearns was born, Venus already had four Grand Slam titles (Wimbledon 2000-2001; US Open 2000-2001).
Williams also received invitations to the Cincinnati Open, which starts next week, and the US Open mixed doubles, where she will partner with Reilly Opelka. It also seems quite likely that she will receive an invitation to the singles main draw of the last Grand Slam of the year, marking her 94th appearance in a Grand Slam main draw since she first did so at the French Open in 1997, reaching the second round at just 17 years old.
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Macci on the mindset of the Williams Sisters
One of the key figures in the development of Venus and Serena Williams in their childhood was Rick Macci, whom both have praised multiple times, just as he has praised two of his most distinguished students. “As a kid Serena was a machine. As a kid Venus was a machine,” Macci recently posted on social media. “As a kid the best friend for both everyday was Mr. Snack Machine. They competed with him daily. Had my keys to seek and destroy. And they both had unreal hunger for the competition. “
The American then referred to the confidence he saw in Serena from the time she was a little girl. The 23-time Grand Slam champion already showed her long-term ambitions from a young age. “Serena at age 11 the confident Compton Crusher when asked who do you want to play like when you grow up. The glaring little pit bull response. I want people to play like Me! Whoa! Unreal kid goat feeling baking in that Compton oven.”
He also added, “The key to mental strength in competition is never go away. Never check out. The mind controls the body. But you control your mind. You control the situation do not let it control you. CHOICE. Hardest thing in sports and the game of life.”
Serena Williams's potential return and Venus's take
In recent weeks, there has been speculation about a potential return of Serena Williams to the courts, after she was seen in several videos and photos training on tennis courts. However, it all seems to be more of a rumor than any real possibility. Venus Williams herself addressed the matter.
“I mean, I keep saying to my team: ‘The only thing that would make this better is if she was here,’ like we always did everything together, so of course I miss her,” the 7-time Grand Slam champion said about her younger sister.
“She can take six months off and she clocks it clean,” Williams added. “You can’t teach that kind of talent. She’s just so good. I don’t know what she’s going to do. I don’t ask those questions. I think we always hit the ball because that’s who we are, we’re always hitting," the former world No. 1 concluded.
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