Rick Macci has shaped many young talents and has supported them through ups and downs of their career. As an experienced player turned coach, he has an exceptional sense of understanding when it comes to detecting potential talent. However, there were times when his predictions didn’t pan out well.

The 23 times Grand Slam champion Serena Williams’ former coach once fell far short in estimating a player’s potential. A player of whom he spoke highly and fought for an early debut, couldn’t live up to the hype even though she received backing from Macci and USA’s former president Donald Trump.

Declarations from Rick Macci

Monique Viele, the American tennis professional, carried the weight of Macci and Trump’s hopes along with her parents’ desires. She turned pro in the year 1999 at the age of 14, just two weeks away from her birthday. And according to Macci, “she ought to be the best thing since sliced bread.”

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Viele debuted in a tour with the WTA’s one wild card entry policy after threatening the association with legal proceedings. Thus garnering a lot of attention. She, after being with IMG for around 5 years, decided to let go of the partnership as the firm “dragged its feet” from holding an argument with WTA’s age eligibility rule.

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Following that, she partnered with Trump’s T Management Group. “With Trump and his capabilities, there’s a lot more synergy and opportunity.” Said Macci. Viele played in her first-ever tournament in Tokyo. However, at the Toyota Princess Cup, she couldn’t manage to prove her prowess and got washed off the sport.

Macci’s gems

The 67-year-old American tennis coach is one of the best in the profession. Before partnering with Patrick Mourataglou, Serena Williams trained under Macci and her father Richard Williams alongside her elder sister, Venus Williams.

Both the former world no.1s have achieved some records that will take decades to break. While Serena has 73 singles career tiles and is the player with the highest amount of prize money. Venus, with 49 career titles, is just behind her, holding the second position on the list of WTA career prize leaders.

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Further apart from the individual earnings, they have represented America in the Olympics and brought the nation 8 gold and 1 silver medal. Currently, the duo is gearing up for the title the 2022 US Open has to offer.