Serena Williams and Venus Williams are often credited with transforming the landscape of the racquet sport. However, do you know who are the catalysts for their legendary status in tennis? Their father, Richard Williams, and their childhood coach, Rick Macci played a decisive role in their careers. Macci trained both Serena and Venus at his academy in Florida. Despite some disagreements over training methods with him and their father, both of them were very good friends. And, Rick Macci is often seen speaking about the intriguing aspect of their training days. Recently, he revealed how Richard Williams prepared Serena Williams for the big stage right from a very young age.

Venus Williams rose to fame first after reaching the finals at the 1997 US Open. After that, her younger sister, Serena Williams proved her mettle by claiming her maiden Grand Slam singles title at the 1999 US Open. Together, both the sisters then went on to dominate the biggest stages of the game in the next few years. However, their preparation to dominate the big stages started during their training days with their father in Compton.

In a recent tweet, Rick Macci was spotted reflecting on how Richard Williams always wanted his daughters to be ready to step up on bigger occasions. His way of teaching them was indeed pretty unique! Macci wrote, “Serena would practice at 5 am some mornings in the pitch dark with his the car lights shining behind her and dad with a flashlight blinking on and off in her eyes. The Compton Comedian would always say hey MEEK get used to the bright lights! Love this guy. @serenawilliams.”

Is it the first time we’re seeing him heap praise on Serena Williams’ legendary father, though? Well, not really! Macci has praised his friend multiple times in the past. In 2022, he put up a tweet highlighting the incredible determination of Richard Williams. He wrote, “Richard Williams was the same exact guy/dad every single day for 4 years. Determined passionate funny smart different loving caring serious focused unpredictable and very confident. He never ever blinked. I LOVE THIS GUY. RICHARD WILLPOWER!“

Speaking of willpower, Rick Macci once also spoke about the Williams sisters’ relentless pursuit of the success during their training sessions. He revealed how their tenacity often resulted in them tumbling on the court. Despite all these, he saw how these “two little warriors“, never gave up when it came to trying something. In fact, do you know, that excuses were literally illegal in the Williams family?

Well, interestingly in another tweet, Serena Williams‘ former coach revealed, “They (Serena and Venus) never made excuses. Excuses were illegal in the Williams family. The life lessons Richard and Oracene taught daily are on the parents’ Mt. Rushmore. Even more so the two little warriors that heard every word but, even more importantly, listened.” How different was Richard Williams different from any other parents, though?

Serena Williams’ childhood coach reveals the factor that made Richard Williams quite different from others

As their first coach, Williams played a very crucial role in the success, serving as the foundation for their incredible journey. He began coaching them when they were just four and a half years old, taking them to public tennis courts for practice. Do you know he even created a detailed 85-page plan to guide their training and development? 

Speaking on Richard Williams, Macci once said, “Richard was the most consistent guy ever.. Daily you knew what you were getting. He was always happy mad joking and poking. He was locked-loaded and launching life lessons to the little warriors and his words were gold and it helped them win gold. @Venuseswilliams @serenawilliams.” Not only that, he even regards him as the “funniest guy” that he has ever met in his life, but what made Richard Williams different from other parents?

“He was more of a psychologist, a parent like none other, he treated them like kids because he knew they were only going to be kids once,“ said the renowned coach. Even during a previous interview with GQ, Serena Williams was heard saying, “My dad was and still is way before his time.” She strongly believes “There would be no Venus and Seren if it wasn’t for Richard.” Richard Williams always used to think on a different level and these statements from Macci and Serena are prime examples of it. Share your thoughts on the role of ‘King’ Richard in Venus and Serena Williams’ career.