Home

Tennis

Serena Williams’ Ex-Coach Drops Shocking Roger Federer Snub as ‘Pistol Pete’ Takes the Top Spot on Best Volley List

Published 02/10/2024, 11:39 PM EST

Follow Us

Each tennis player has a distinct style, area of expertise, and unique ability that sets them apart from the rest. But who has the best volley in tennis? Serena Williams‘ former tennis coach, has the answer to this question. He recently discussed who, among Pete Sampras and Roger Federer, had the finest volley on the court.

The volley is a very elegant and precise part of the game, especially when compared to the booming serves and blazing groundstrokes. Let’s take a look at who Rick Macci believes is the GOAT when it comes to this particular game style.

Serena Williams’ ex-coach opens up about the best volley

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

Macci is someone who has trained and nurtured a lot of tennis legends, including Serena and Venus Williams, Maria Sharapova, and Andy Roddick. As someone who has keen eyes for talent, he recently took to his Twitter account to share a verdict regarding one of the most debatable questions focusing on the 20-time Grand Slam champion and one of his rivals, Sampras.

Along with that, he also considered a lot of other tennis players, including John McEnroe and Stefan Edberg, worthy of the same skills. He said, “Was asked who has the Best Volley of all time. Sampras Mcenroe Edberg Federer. There are many who have the Best Volley.  Who had the best Volley is one question. But who PLAYED The Net the Best is a guy Floating on eggshells with Nimble Feet the one and only PISTOL PETE.” 

Trending

Get instantly notified of the hottest Tennis stories via Google! Click on Follow Us and Tap the Blue Star.

Follow Us

While he made his pick quite clear, at the same time he also gave the 14-time Grand Slam champion a name and called him, “Pistol Pete.” He also appreciated his skills around the net which made him stand out from the crowd in this particular part of tennis.

But did you know that, in terms of their athletic personalities, the two athletes are both strikingly similar and very different at the same time? A few years ago, former tennis coach Paul Annacone opened up about both players’ similar personality traits.

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

Personality parallels between Federer and Sampras

In a candid interview from 2021, the 60-year-old former tennis player discussed these two incredible skills and emphasized their parallels as someone who has mentored both tennis personalities. While personality-wise, he believed that both the tennis players were holes apart, at the same time, they were quite similar when it came to themselves.

He stated, “I think personality-wise they’re very different but they got to the same place in their goal orientation with very different methods and what I mean by that is they both understood themselves very well as I said about Roger. Pete knew exactly what he needed to do to be successful.” Further, he also highlighted how, during the pre-season, they both understood their strengths and abilities in particular.

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

Nevertheless, what are your thoughts on Macci’s volley verdict? Do let us know in the comment section below.

Watch this story: Serena Williams’ Former Coach Labelled a ‘Crook’ by Raging Simona Halep Fans After His Controversial Confession

SHARE THIS ARTICLE :

Written by:

Pratishtha Prakash

2,400Articles

One take at a time

Watching the biggest sports events have been a part of my life right from my early childhood. Although I have grown up watching a variety of sports, including tennis, cricket, and esports, I have a special connection to tennis. Thus, when it came to building a career in sports journalism, I focused on the racket sport.
Show More>

Edited by:

Ananya Giri