‘I Have Helped Them Get Off Drugs’- Serena Williams’s Former Coach Rick Macci Details How He Helps Young Tennis Players off the Court

Over the years, Rick Macci has been a household name in the tennis world. In his close to a 4-decade long coaching career, the seven-time USPTA national coach of the year has trained many top players. His massive coaching portfolio includes players like Serena Williams, Venus Williams, Jennifer Capriati, Maria Sharapova, and Andy Roddick.

The 67-year-old has helped several young talents in learning and playing tennis. However, in his words, his biggest achievement is not making tennis players on the court. But helping them be better humans off the court. Recently, he opened up about how he helps young talents off the court.

Rick Macci with kids off the court

Recently, Rick Macci featured in a podcast. Conversing with the podcast host Greg Olsen, Macci opened up on topics like coaching kids, his journey, parents, attitude, competition, future stars, and the cost. During the conversation, the former NFL player, Greg, questioned Macci about how he has helped the young kids off the court.

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Taking the question with grace, Macci started by saying, “To me, that’s probably been my greatest impact. It’s not the people that have become number one or the grand slam champions or all of these kids who have won national titles. That’s the window dressing.”

Going down the memory lane, one can recall Macci as a person focusing on life lessons. Diving deeper, Macci has been a successful tennis coach. However, he has always made it a point to make his students work on themselves to become better people off the court. Frequently, Macci has been quoted saying, “I don’t just change grips and strokes. I change lives.”

Going further, Macci continued saying, “…maybe, clean the room better. Or I gave helped them get off drugs. Or, they do their homework. I don’t try to do that in a teaching way. It’s just part of the entre that happens. The life lessons they are getting.” 

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While Rick Macci might have a different approach towards coaching, he remains one of the best coaches in the sport. The proof of the same can be seen in his larger-than-life portfolio. Keeping his impressive career in mind, in 2010, Macci was inducted in the USPTA Hall of Fame.