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‘She Was Like the Praying Mantis’- Serena Williams’ Childhood Coach Rick Macci Explains Why Venus Williams Was Special

Published 07/07/2022, 8:05 AM EDT

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American tennis star Venus Williams is amongst the greatest tennis players ever. The former world number 1 has stamped her authority on the court for over two decades now. After being out of action for almost over a year; Recently, she teamed up with Jamie Murray to play in the Wimbledon Championships mixed doubles category.

Although she made a winning start with her partner, defeating the duo of Alicja Rosolska and Michael Venus, their run didn’t last too long. Venus and Jamie lost against the British duo of Alicia Barnett and Jonny O’ Mara in their next match.

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Venus was a gifted player from her early days. Her tall physique complimented her fiery gameplay. In a recent video, her former coach explains what makes Venus special.

She had gifts from above: Rick Macci

Recalling her teenage days, the former coach of Venus Williams explained how she was a gifted player and has some special abilities which even Serena didn’t have. “She had gifts from above that Serena didn’t. The next female, Michael Jordan, no one could jump like Venus Williams,” he said.

Further, he explained how Venus used her physique as a lethal weapon while playing in the nets.

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“She had a wingspan. She was like a praying mantis at the net. You couldn’t pass her. And even when you come to the net, even if you don’t volley, you can freak people out. The kid’s bulletproof,” he added.

via Reuters

Venus Williams shuts down a reporter

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Playing in the Wimbledon Championships 2022, a rather bizarre question from a reporter baffled Venus in the post-match press conference. The reporter asked Venus if she was playing just for the experience or if she wants to go all the way. Unimpressed with the question, Venus replied,

“Are you going to write a good article or just a halfway decent one?”

The reply from former world number one was accurate as she returned the question to the reporter, who questioned her dedication to the game.

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Watch this story: How Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Serena Williams, and Others Travel

Now that she has made her return, we can’t wait to see her back on court playing singles as well.

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Written by:

Gaurav Verma

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Gaurav Verma is a Tennis Author at EssentiallySports. He has post graduate diploma in management from IILM Graduate School of Management and a BBA degree from Bangalore University. He has 1-year of experience in the banking sector.
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Edited by:

Deepakshi Chaudhary