In 2014, Richard Williams laid bare his ambitious plan: to catapult Venus and Serena from the “ghetto” to the pinnacle of a white-dominated sport. He employed unorthodox methods, a testament to his unwavering determination. Rick Macci, their first coach, often shares anecdotes of Richard’s singular focus. Macci even called him his “best friend,” a man obsessed with his daughters’ rise to number one. But who was Richard Williams’ true confidante?

Macci was first introduced to the Williams sisters in 1991. Both Venus and Serena Williams used to practice under him at that time. However, four years later, Richard took over full coaching responsibilities for them and stopped sending them to the academy. Even then, Macci kept in touch with Richard and followed their progress throughout their childhood. Over the years, Rick Macci saw Richard Williams taking up multiple unorthodox approaches in order to develop the physical and mental aspects of his daughters’ games.

A few days back, he shared how Richard used to show his daughters the video of a cheetah and complained that both “Venus and Serena were SLOW.” Not only that, he also mentioned how “Richard Willpower Williams pushed his kids hard every Day.” He challenged them and yelled at them every day, but Macci says he also used to give them hugs and kisses every hour. “How smart was this guy!,” Rick Macci admitted. Talking about smartness, Macci recently revealed how Richard Williams used his “best friend” to train his daughters. Who was his best friend, though?

“Richard knew how to listen and always had his antenna up. We would talk or I would say something to V or S and he would ALWAYS have me repeat it and Record it. UNREAL. His best Friend was MR. VIDEO CAMERA. His background as a security guard had the Compton Crusader always on high alert @Venuseswilliams @serenawilliams,” Macci tweeted. 

Talking more about his unconventional yet so effective training methods, the Serena Williams’ childhood coach once revealed that, “Venus and Serena would box almost every day. Yes BOXING. Richard the Compton Comedian always said if he got them Rougher, Tougher, and Meaner they would win more Greener! LOVE THIS GUY.”

Not only that, in December last year, he also spoke about how Richard would park his car by the court with loud music, and in one instance, he even broke six beer bottles near the back fence to drive home a lesson for Venus. What was the lesson, though? He instructed her to hit the ball on the rise and not back up.

According to Macci, he always used to look for better and better performances from his daughters. When Venus and Serena Williams would hit a ball hard, he would insist they go harder. Richard always kept his daughters on their “toes“. Not only that, he even homeschooled them to allow more practice time and develop their mental toughness. His unique tactics also included asking the hitting coaches to call the ball OUT when it hit the line.

That’s how smart and unconventional were his methods compared to other coaches. What do Venus and Serena Williams have to say about their father’s coaching style, though?

Venus and Serena Williams sheds light on their father’s invaluable contribution to their careers 

In 2012, a documentary was released on the Williams sisters, where Venus Williams talked about her father’s unorthodox training methods. Acknowledging those words from Macci, she was then heard saying, “I remember he (Richard Williams) said boxers have the best feet, and we needed a faster foot so…” 

During a previous interview with renowned painter Titus Kaphar, Venus was asked where did she learn tennis initially. In reply to that, she said, “That person for me was definitely my dad. He created his way of how he thought tennis should be played. For example, we were not allowed to play defense. It didn’t matter if we got to this shot that normally someone would play a defensive shot on. You couldn’t hurt us. We would just play offense no matter what. He really changed the game, and we were his students in that sense.”

Talking about Richard Williams and his training style, do you know Rick Macci once mentioned, “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!” He was always there when his daughter needed him the most no matter what. As Serena Williams once said, “He was and still is way before his time.” 

They claimed to Macci that they were literally “brainwashed” to become number one and perhaps these are some of the secrets behind their transition from young prodigies to legendary sisters. Share your thoughts on Richard Williams’ unique methods to train her daughters.