“This was like in 1998 in Sydney, Serena was playing a top player and was down 1-6, 0-5. She was fighting like there was no tomorrow, like it was her last day on earth.
After watching the match, I reconsidered that I wasn’t such a fighter and that’s what I took from her game and I became a fighter too,” said Venus Williams following her win at the 2000 US Open Championships.
24 years to that day and still counting. Recently, their childhood coach, Rick Macci, highlighted their father, Richard Williams, being at the center of it all.
Three months back, the ex-coach posted about how the sisters never fought on court and had smiles on their faces.
“They never fought as kids. Two peas in a pod. Always skipping holding hands Smiling playing with dolls and stealing her food. On court always fought. Two pea shooters. Still smiling playing against the enemy but stealing points instead of food,” he wrote on X.
Similarly, Macci is now convinced that this bond was not a mere show-off but an inherent confrontation injected by their father.
As kids I never saw Venus and Serena ARGUE which was amazing. Two peas in a pod. I asked Richard why they never argued after about anything after a year of being with them. The Compton Comedian replied I argued for the entire family! @Venuseswilliams @serenawilliams
— Rick Macci (@RickMacci) December 30, 2024
Taking to his X handle again on December 30th, the former coach extended his thoughts.
“As kids I never saw Venus and Serena ARGUE which was amazing. Two peas in a pod. I asked Richard why they never argued after about anything after a year of being with them. The Compton Comedian replied I argued for the entire family!”, he wrote.
Emotionally, they both were attached, as Serena called Venus “my rock” before they participated at the 2022 US Open as doubles.
Their emotional connection was also evident at the pre-match press conference before their final US Open doubles match against the Czech Republic’s Lucie Hradecká and Linda Noskova; Venus explained their decision to reporters referring to Serena: “She’s the boss, so I do what she says.”
However, their connection might never have come into the limelight if their father hadn’t worked tirelessly to forge a strong and enduring bond between them.
The story goes back to 1978 when Romanian Virginia Ruzici pocketed a $20,000 price money at the French Open.
Inspired by that, Richard Williams left his security guard job and came up with a 78-page plan for Venus and Serena to make it out of Compton — where they grew up sharing bunkbeds with three half sisters in one room.
However, despite his ‘little’ tennis knowledge, which he gained through reading magazines, he had an innate belief in his own coaching ability and methods.
This was cherished by Kamau Murray-who coached another black tennis star, Sloane Stephens, to the 2017 US Open-the founder of XS Tennis.
Speaking in the ‘Richard Williams show’, he said, “They would have not made it if he was not pushing and then protecting, and then pushing and then protecting. They would not have made it.”
Despite the individual success they had on their tennis journey, Serena holds the edge over her older sister at 19-12.
However, as Serena retired from the center court with 23 grand slams in her belt, her ex-coach had other things to say about her childhood, which might be the opposite of her fan’s perspective!
‘Serena was not really that good,’ Macci’s take on Serena
The now-70-year-old Macci trained both Serena Williams (10) and Venus Williams (11) at Boca Raton Academy in Florida from 1991 to 1995.
Since their first pairing, their bonding helped the sisters to boast an unbeaten 14-0 record in Grand Slam doubles finals, securing 14 titles together, including four at the Australian Open, two at Roland Garros, six at Wimbledon, and two at the U.S. Open.
Coincidentally, Serena’s last Slam came against her partner in crime Venus Williams when she beat her 6-4, 6-4 at the 2017 Australian Open, Serena’s 7th AO title.
Despite all this, Macci’s belief was the quite opposite when he first trained Serena and Venus at the very beginning of their in-court journey.
Speaking to the ATP Tennis Radio Podcast, Macci said, “They both, we were literally brainwashed to become No. 1′ and that maybe can work if you have the speed, the quickness and the right coaching but I never talked to either of them and we talked about this even when they were 10 and 11 and Serena was not really that good,” said Macci.
The training under Macci was challenging for both the sisters, which included a 20-foot gravel pit where both sisters had to climb through loose rocks submerged in two feet of water and 5 a.m. practice sessions for Serena.
In Richard’s view, these were essential steps to help them “get used to the bright lights,”. However, despite the tiresome training process, the American coach had other opinions for the junior.
“I have probably ten thousand parents see that video and say ‘My kid is better than that’, but they did not see what was under the hood and where this could go like coaches kinda project and I always would say ‘Steffi would get that, Martina would get that, Capriati, that is not gonna work against her’. I was not talking about 12-year-olds, it was always the future and that is kinda how I build a player,” he later added.
While Serena retired in 2022, Venus is still active on tours with seven major Grand Slams and counting. Now 44, do you think she will add another major trophy to her cabinet before her retirement?
