‘Fall seven times, stand up eight.’ Isn’t this what Simone Biles does on the mat, and in life? She may fall; but she gracefully rises, mightier each time. And who better to understand this philosophy than a fellow athlete? Serena Williams, the 23-time grand slam champion, had supported Biles’ withdrawal from Tokyo given her struggles with the twisties, citing a similar example. “It’s just, like, you slipped, and then you’ll get back up,” she said. And when that moment arrived, Williams was present to capture it from meters apart.

While Simone Biles & Co were turning the chapters of history books in the women’s team finals, Williams was seated in the stands to witness the spectacle accompanied by her daughter. Indeed, Olympia’s adorable versions of Biles’ floor routine while ‘tumbling over the sofa’ have been too hard to miss. But, the enthusiastic toddler is not to be blamed. Simone Biles can turn a fan out of everyone. Interestingly, this list includes Serena Williams’ ex-coach Rick Macci. The 7-time USPTA national tennis coach recently caught up with us at EssentiallySports in an exclusive interview and threw in his absolute support for a Biles storm in Paris!

Simone Biles is a human jackrabbit, ft. Rick Macci

In an Exclusive interview with our correspondent Mahalakshmi, the American tennis coach Rick Macci spilled that he is bound to keep a close eye on the gymnastics action in Paris. He says, “I think all of us are just blown away by the athleticism you know and how these people can jump and hop and skip and bounce and then land on balance, it’s like people always go how do they do that…” But speaking of gymnastics, how could we not bring up Biles! With a wide grin, our host left the door open for Macci to shoot answers. She goes, “Simone Biles, will you be following her?”

It was as though she lifted the curtain and a Biles fan emerged! Enthusiastically, coach Macci responded, “Absolutely! I mean, it’s hard to follow her because she jumps so high,” with a chuckle. “She defies gravity, you know she is like a human jack rabbit with a smile, you know she is a human pogo stick,” he finds a humorous way to define her near-impossible stunts. But to be a 30-time world champion like Simone Biles, you need a lot more than that. Coach Macci opines, “People, they don’t understand, you got to have talent, you got to have the genetics, okay and you got to have the hard work. But, it’s kind of what you do with it.” 

In 2021, when Biles faced the horrors of the ‘twisties,’ the first thought that struck her mind, was, ‘The world is going to hate me.’ There may have been people who called her out for abandoning her team. But Serena Williams backed her decision and echoed coach Macci’s thought. She has always thought of Biles as a powerhouse of talent and an extremely influential personality. The same year, when Biles made it to the Times 100 list, Williams penned a message for her. Calling her the reflection of a Black woman’s endless potential, Williams wished if she had Biles to look up to while she was young and realizing her dreams.

However, the opposite is also true. Speaking to ES Exclusively, Coach Macci mentions, “There’s a lot of people that have a lot of things. but they dont realize how much hard work goes in to this. All they do is turn on their TV set and their blown away. It’s what happens behind the scenes and the dedication it takes, to be able to do what she is doing.” Well, both Williams and Biles have been veterans in their fields. The former’s Grand Slam singles titles are more than any players’ in the Open era. Similarly for Biles, with 11 Olympic medals, she is not the most decorated U.S. gymnast. But while their career highs are for the world to watch, not many know about the BTS that goes into it.

Biles is a fan-favorite

EssentiallySports’ exclusive chat with coach Macci took us on a major ride down memory lane. Coach Macci’s mention of “Uh no I love watching her [Biles]. She’ s like everywhere I love it,” set the enthusiasm at a fever pitch, right before we entered the Olympic month. And it cemented Biles’s strong universal presence. It seems like no one can get enough of her picturesque stunts, not even little Olympia. For those of you who may have missed out on this adorable moment, the toddler once stepped onto a beam in her play area. This was when Serena Williams captured a shot and asked Biles to give her tips.

Not just the toddler, but even Serena William’s husband, Alexis Ohanian is a Biles fan! Taking her moonshot for the Paris Olympics, when Biles returned to the Trials in June, Ohanian took to his X and wrote, “Simone!”  Well, who doesn’t love to see her back on the mats? The floor silver medalist at Paris had returned this season with her Triple Double first pass, sharing the video in which, Ohanian expressed, “It’s so good to see her back.” No matter the size of the obstacle, Biles always bounces back. Despite her injury threat at the Olympic camp, she completed her 5 medal haul in all her glory. What do you think about this athlete with unbridled courage? Let us know below.