Serena Williams’ named the best player he coached when they were 12 years of age.

Before she went on to win 23 Grand Slam titles, the American made her way as a junior and trained at Rick Macci’s academy in the early 1990s.

The 69-year-old coached Serena and Venus as youngsters as he helped them on their way to reaching the professional circuit and becoming legends of the game.

However, the Williams sisters were just two of players that Macci coached who went on to have success on the pro tour.

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Is Serena Williams the best player Rick Macci coached at 12 years of age?

Rick Macci is one of the greatest tennis coaches of all time and he became the youngest person to be inducted into the USPTA Hall of Fame in 2017.

He is integral in the rise of Serena and Venus Williams, who share 30 Grand Slam singles titles between them.

They showed great promise as youngsters which they would fulfil, but Macci says that it was another player who showed even greater potential at 12 years of age.

The coach took to X to say that three-time Grand Slam winner Jennifer Capriati was the best player he coached at that age.

“I was asked who was the best player at 12 years old I coached? Venus, Serena, Sharapova, Kenin or Capriati,” he wrote.

Macci excitedly added: “Believe it or not it is not even close as the JENERATOR JENNIFER CAPRIATI at age 12/ 5 .4 /107 LBS was Number One in the U.S but in the Girls 18 and Under. WOW.”

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What is Serena Williams’ head-to-head record against Jennifer Capriati?

Williams engaged in an entertaining rivalry with Capriati during the early 2000s. The pair played one another 17 times, with 12 of these encounters going to a third and deciding set.

Williams won on 10 occasions, but Capriati won four of their seven contests at Grand Slam events, including their final meeting at the 2004 US Open quarter-finals.

In that final meeting which Williams lost 6-2, 4-6, 4-6, she claimed she felt ‘robbed’ by the chair umpire Marian Alves during the third set, who called one of her shots out when she thought it landed in.

“I did. I thought she had got the score wrong. I was going to call the referee. But she claimed that, you know – I guess she went temporarily insane,” the American said.

“Very angry and bitter right now. I’m extremely angry. Bitter. I’m upset. I feel cheated. Should I keep going? I just feel robbed.”