‘Slam Her in the Cheek’ – Former Trainer Reveals Aggressive Advice Given to Serena Williams During an Important Match

American tennis legend Serena Williams recently retired from tennis. She made it to the third round of the US Open, where she bowed out after a hard-fought three-set defeat. Over years, Serena has been a symbol of fighting spirit. The 40-year-old also taught us how to give it back.

Recently, Serena’s former physical trainer narrated an interesting incident from Wimbledon where Serena literally gave it back to her opponent.

Mackie Shilstone shares a hilarious Serena story

Serena Williams’ former fitness coach, Mackie Shilstone, revealed a funny story giving an insight into Serena’s fighting instinct. It was in Wimbledon, where the next opponents Serena and Venus were going to face were good in their net game. All that Mackie wanted Serena to do was hit her opponent on her face whenever she came close to the nets. Here’s what Mackie told Serena before the match, “If this woman comes up to the net, I want you to slam her in the cheek.”

However, as it turned out, the opponent dealt the first blow to Serena’s face. This infuriated Mackie, who stood up in the stands and reminded Serena of what she was supposed to do next. “Serena is going up to the net, and the girl hits her. I stand up and say payback,” Macci said.

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Later, Serena not only did hit her opponent but also won the match. Here’s what Mackie said about the conversation with Serena after the match. “When it’s all over and they won, she comes out. She walks over to me and said you are happy now? I said it’s been about time u have been slapped. She says I know, and I paid it back. I said, great, now we are on the same page.”

Serena Williams fought till the end

Serena was not in great form going into the US Open. She won only one out of four matches that she played in the year. However, the former world number 1 was in no mood to give it up so easily in her last tournament. The way she played in the first two matches showed us a glimpse of a tough competitor we have known for years.

In the third match also she gave it her all. After an intense battle, the match entered the third round, where the American started feeling the pressure. When Serena was on the brink of losing the match, she showed some vintage class. The 40-year-old saved five match points before hitting one into the nets.

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In a way, her last few minutes as a tennis player highlighted her entire journey, which was all about keeping the fighting spirit alive.