Home

Tennis

18 Months Following a Mega Oscars Reunion, Serena Williams’ Childhood Coach Takes a Trip Down the Memory Lane to Shed Light on Her ‘Prankster’ Arc

Published 09/19/2023, 6:56 AM EDT

Follow Us

Venus and Serena Williams carved out an illustrious on-court legacy that has long been entrenched in the history books. The American tennis sisters amassed a combined 30 singles Grand Slam titles while also enjoying the World No. 1 stature for a considerable period in their journey. However, it all started in 1991 when the Williams sisters moved from Compton to Florida in order to hone their on-court skills under Rick Macci’s supervision.

Ever since, the WTA legends have shared some heartfelt moments with the USPTA national coach, both on and off the court. While taking a trip down memory lane and speaking about reminiscences of the tennis icons, the 68-year-old recently brought to light the ‘prankster’ arc of the younger Williams sister.

Serena Williams’ coach on how the tennis legend was a ‘handful’

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

The 68-year-old recently appeared on the ATP Tennis Radio Podcast, in which he talked about his meeting with the Williams sisters at the Oscars where the film ‘King Richard’ was honored with many awards. During their reunion at the afterparty, Rick Macci opened up about how he reminisced about some great moments that he shared with the American tennis icons.

Trending

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

Follow Us

He said, “I literally had Serena on the ground crying, the stories, because lemme tell you she was a handful. She was a little prankster. I mean, you know, even though she’s got to go down as the greatest female tennis player ever to hold a racket.”

READ MORE- Venus and Serena Williams Team Up With Will Smith to Mount Prestigious Hollywood Project Inspired by Soccer

While shedding light on Serena’s ‘prankster’ arc, the legendary tennis coach also revealed how these stories, which he has often shared on various shows, have amused many people. Later, Macci shared another humorous reminiscence of the WTA legends.

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

Williams sisters claimed to have been “brainwashed” into achieving a feat

During the podcast show, the long-time USPTA national coach later revealed how Serena and Venus used to claim to have been “brainwashed” into attaining the World No. 1 status. The Williams sisters used to tell him, “Rick, we were literally brainwashed to become World No. 1,” according to Macci, who shared another amusing memory of them.

Meanwhile, the WTA coach also claimed that the 10-year-old “Queen of the Court” wasn’t a very skilled player at the time she arrived. Macci further had to motivate the younger Williams sister by citing the accomplishments of other tennis greats on the women’s tour including Steffi Graf.

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

What do you think of Macci’s recent ‘prankster’ disclosures about the American tennis legend? Let us know in the comments section.

WATCH THIS STORY: Serena Williams pays tribute to Roger Federer.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE :

Written by:

Anurag Gusain

1,583Articles

One take at a time

Anurag Gusain is a tennis writer at EssentiallySports. Being a huge tennis fan, he enjoys watching the Spanish legend Rafael Nadal dominate other superstars on the ATP Tour. His coverage of Nadal's 14 French Open titles has been hailed as some of the best in the business, showcasing his talent for storytelling and his ability to capture the essence of the sport.
Show More>

Edited by:

Mitali Dey