‘I Was Brainwashed To Be No. 1’ – Rick Macci Lauds Venus Williams Mentality as a Youngster

Legendary tennis coach Rick Macci is one of the best coaches training some of the best athletes in the world. Macci has coached the likes of Venus Williams, Serena Williams, Maria Sharapova, and Andy Roddick. However, he remembers his time coaching the Williams sisters ever so fondly.

The Williams sisters went on to break numerous records in women’s tennis while bringing a new era of hard-hitting into the game. Additionally, the duo went on to win a combined 30 Grand Slams with 122 career titles.

Macci talks about Venus Williams’ incredible mentality

Macci sat down with Greg Olsen to talk about Venus and her will to win every game on Tour. He is quoted talking on the Youth Inc. podcast saying, “Venus always said, ‘Rick, I am brainwashed to be No. 1.’ What a statement, that came from her, not me.”

“I was just trying to make her serve better, I wasn’t looking it at like that. But, that’s at the top level. The environment is huge, and that comes from the coach and staff and everything else,” he added.

Venus Williams went on to reach the World No. 1 ranking while winning multiple Grand Slams in her career. She also went on a 35-match consecutive winning streak, winning 6 titles in a row in the process. Williams has earned 7 Grand Slam titles, with 14 doubles and 2 mixed doubles titles.

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After working with both sisters from the age of 10, Macci will be proud to see the pair soon be inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.

Will Serena Williams return to action in 2022?

While Venus Williams turns 42 this month, her sister Serena is still gunning to match an unassailable record of 24 Grand Slam wins. The record held by legend Margaret Court is one more than Williams, who has been out of action since last year’s Wimbledon.

After suffering from fitness issues in recent years, Williams’ last Grand Slam came at the 2017 Australian Open. Since then, she has dropped out of the Top 10 of the WTA rankings, falling to 246.

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Will we see the Williams sisters return for one final hurrah after decades of domination? Is there one more Grand Slam in reach for Serena to match the unthinkable? We’ll wait and find out.