‘Compton Confidence on Steroids’- Serena Williams’ Childhood Coach Rick Macci Raves About Friend ‘King’ Richard’s Vision

Richard Williams earned the title ‘King Richard’ as he took Serena Williams and Venus Williams to unseen glory. The tennis world praises him for his efforts, but no one probably showers praise on him the way Rick Macci does. The 69-year-old coach had the chance to work with Richard during the early years of their daughter’s training. 

Richard, Serena, and Venus eventually separated from Macci. Regardless, the American coach leaves with nothing but great memories and shares anecdotes of their time together with his followers on ‘X’. One of his posts talked about how Richard shaped his daughters to have the minds of champions, referencing a beloved chicken snack.

“Never Ever heard him make an excuse for his girls. Never. Mindset of 3 future champions baked in Triple Extra Crispy from the ghetto. @serenawilliams @Venuseswilliams.“

Becoming a champion requires one to have the utmost confidence in their strategy and persistence in their efforts. In light of that, Macci also mentioned the famous Compton confidence, which was always visible in Richard. “RICHARD never blinked. He never wavered. He never retreated. He never had any doubt. Compton Confidence on Steroids times Two. @serenawilliams @Venuseswilliams.”

Richard made sure to put equal amounts of pressure on both girls to push them to become greats, and Macci remembers it fondly. “What I loved about Richard Williams as a tennis dad and coach is he expected the same from both girls. ROUGH AND TOUGH NEVER ENOUGH. @serenawilliams @Venuseswilliams.”

While King Richard aimed to bring Macci to help his daughters, he had to make sure he chose the right coach. Even though Macci was certainly qualified to train them, he was put through a grilling process by the 82-year-old.

Richard Williams made sure to grill the right coach for Serena Williams and Venus Williams

Tennis mentorship may often turn into a compelling courtroom drama, as Macci’s recall revealed a tough interrogation by Richard Williams. As a father and the architect of Venus and Serena Williams’ success stories, Richard Williams went above and beyond. His grilling session took place in May 1991 in the heart of Compton. 

Macci wrote , “When we first met May 1991 in Compton Richard pulled out a yellow piece of notebook paper with at least 75 questions and Grilled Me Extra Double Crispy like I WAS IN A DEPOSITION. I actually REALLY Respected this father right from that moment.”

Richard Williams has made a deep impact on Macci as the two worked together to develop Serena and Venus Williams. The two certainly owe much to both their mentors, who set them on a path to success!