‘People Are Passed Out in Grass’- Coach Rick Macci Recalls Crazy Times When He Met Young Venus and Serena Williams

Rick Macci has played one of the most crucial parts in making Serena Williams and Venus Williams what they are today. The 7-time USPTA national coach of the year joined Serena and Venus in their formative years, guiding and training them to climb the ladder of success. However, even though people think that Rick was their first coach, that isn’t the actual truth. Rick came in as the second coach to the Williams sisters, who were primarily being trained by their father Richard Williams.

The same was shown in the docu-drama ‘King Richard’. The movie is the life story of the father and coach of the Williams sisters Richard Williams. It focuses on how Richard made his daughters, world the greatest players, even after all odds being against them. Recently, in an interview, Rick Macci recalled the first time he met the sisters and saw the place where they had been training.

The court at the East Compton Hill Country Club

Macci started by giving the background of the incident, asserting that Richard called him to Compton and came to meet him at a hotel along with his family. He further said that after talking for hours, Richard told him that he would be picking him up the next day at 7. They were heading to the East Compton Hill Country Club. The place where the Williams sisters used to practice.

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Cut to when Richard, Macci and the sisters reached the location,  Macci said, “I stayed at a 5-star resort, Green Leaf Gold and Tennis resort. I am going, “What in god’s name am I doing in Compton, California.” We start going to the club. About 10 min’s in, I’m going, “This is a strange place for a country club.”

When Rick Macci first visited the club, he was already a successful coach, having his own highly standardized international tennis academy. However, getting into the East Compton Hill Country Club, he felt nothing short of craziness and disappointment.

“We popped to a park. This is crazy. We get out, people are passed out in the grass, people are smoking, they are drinking, guys are shooting baskets.”

The two sisters started tennis on the not so pleasant courts of the East Compton Hill Country Club. However, that didn’t stop them from becoming two of the greatest players of all time.

Touching on the careers of Venus and Serena Williams

Venus entered the professional circuit in 1994. On the other hand, Serena entered the circuit just one year later, in 1995. From 1995 to 2022, the two left no stone unturned to show the world why they are the greatest players of all time.

Statistically, Venus Williams has won a total of 7 Grand Slams and an Olympic Gold Medal in the singles regime. Apart from that, she has also held the top spot in the WTA rankings for a total of 11 weeks.

On the other hand, Serena Williams has won a record 23 Grand Slams, along with an Olympic Gold Medal in the singles regime. Apart from that, she sits at the third spot in the WTA All-time list of weeks at No. 1. She has been on the top spot for a total of 319 weeks till now.

Even though the two have created some of the biggest records in singles, they haven’t shied away from bringing their aura in the doubles format.

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The two together have won a record 14 grand slam titles together, along with 3 Olympic Golds.