Education is empowerment, and for Richard Williams, educating his daughters was one of his life’s most important missions. Of course, he gave everything he could into making his daughters Venus and Serena Williams fearsome tennis professionals. However, at his core, his focus was firmly on ensuring that the prodigious tennis talents did not miss out on their education.

When Venus and Serena were both quite young, around 13 and 9 years old, respectively, their father enrolled them into Rick Macci’s tennis academy. Macci, a legendary figure in tennis coaching, saw first-hand how Richard Williams drove his daughters to pursue their education. He shared a fascinating story that reflects the same in a recent tweet.

When it rained, Venus and Serena Williams trained their brains, claims Macci

Tennis is a sport you can’t play when it rains, unless the courts are indoors. During the Williams sisters’ days at Macci’s academy, there were some days that didn’t allow them to play, owing to heavy rainfall. In one of Macci’s recent tweets, it was revealed how Richard Williams encouraged his daughters to do their studies courtside if rain prevented them from training.

Macci wrote, “Venus and Serena every day brought school books to the court in case of rain.” He went on to write, “Richard had a motto. Even in the rain the girls will train the brain.”

Macci further added, “Great dad! Great life lesson coach. Best friend ever. LOVE THIS GUY.” The immense respect Macci has for his best friend Richard Williams is quite apparent from the tweet. In fact, when Macci and Williams trained the sisters together, Macci would look at Venus and Serena as he would look at his own daughters.

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Macci’s unwavering influence on the Williams sisters

Both Venus and Serena have, on several occasions, acknowledged the importance of Macci’s training and its impact on their respective careers. Around a year after their father Richard Williams enrolled them in Macci’s academy, he decided to stop sending them to national junior level competitions.

Read More: ‘Literally Brainwashed’ – Coach Rick Macci Details Venus and Serena Williams’ Powerful Words Right After ‘King Richard’ Premiere

Williams wanted his daughters to take school more seriously at the time. He was also concerned by the racism that his daughters were subject to when they participated in tournaments. This is when Macci’s training became more important for the girls than ever before.

Along with the legendary Williams sisters, his academy also saw to the growth of several champion players like Jennifer Capriati, Maria Sharapova, and Andy Roddick.

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