The Hall of Famer coach Rick Macci has been a legendary figure in the tennis community, particularly in the United States. He coached many players who became no.1 in the world, including Venus and Serena Williams, Maria Sharapova, Jennifer Capriati, Andy Roddick, and more. The coach recently talked about molding a talent and making them no. 1 in the world.

Interestingly, he saw the same thing with the Russian tennis star, Sharapova. 

Rick Macci knew Maria Sharapova would become no.1 in the world

Former coach of Venus and Serena Williams, Rick Macci recently talked in the PBD podcast about making players great from an early age. According to him, he knew Maria Sharapova would become a great player in the future. 

“I get the ingredients, okay, I put it in the oven, I bake it and then I put the icing on it. When I have a 12-year-old, I’m already projecting how they are going to play at 18. And I’m playing for 18, I’m not developing a 12-year-old game. That’s why I’ve had more kids become number one in the nation at 12.”

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“They come to me at 7 or 8, bang! They are no.1 in the nation. Not that, that means any things that doesn’t mean you are gonna be top 10 but I knew it with Sharapova,” Macci further revealed. 

When Sharapova was only 6-years-old, she came to the USA from Russia to fulfill her dream as a tennis player. Macci was one of her very first coaches who saw great potential in her. Eventually, Sharapova became one of the best players in the world and achieved the no.1 ranking in the world in 2005. 

Sharapova’s early success at Wimbledon

At the age of 17, Sharapova won her first Grand Slam title. She grabbed all the limelight after beating Serena Williams in the 2004 Wimbledon final. Soon, she became the world no.1 in the world the very next year. 

In her career, she won five Grand Slam titles, including 2 French Open. After winning the French Open for the first time in 2012, she became one of the very few female tennis players to win a career Grand Slam. In 2020, she retired from tennis at the age of 33. 

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Did Sharapova retire too early? Let us know in the comments.