Venus and Serena Williams—two names that have not only dominated tennis courts but redefined the sport for generations to come. From epic matches to breaking barriers, the Williams sisters have left an indelible mark on the game and inspired countless budding talents to dream big. Fast-forward to today, Serena has officially hung up her racquets, and Venus has taken a step back from the limelight. Yet, their journey continues to resonate deeply within the tennis community and beyond. And who better to reflect on their interesting aspects than their former coach, Rick Macci?

Macci took to his X account and shared a video on December 31, 2024. He deliberated on a wide range of factors including the competitive side of the Williams sisters. Answering a question if he could have taught anything better to the Williams sisters than what he did, Macci shared an honest take. He highlighted that while he could have trained them more about biomechanics and worked better on technical aspects, the sisters eventually evolved themselves over the years, and a major reason behind the same was their competitive mindset. 

Detailing the same, he said, “As you evolve, you want to keep getting better. Venus and Serena, they were so competitive. If there was a piece of bread on the table, they were so competitive. So they didn’t need it like people need to know how to win and people need to know how to lose.” Remember, Macci shares an old bond with the Williams sisters. 

Venus and Serena trained under Macci when they were 10 and 9 years old respectively. The partnership started in 1991 and lasted for a few years. But those days still seem to remain afresh for the 70-year-old who never fails to recall time and again. Yet again, he sparked discussion as he opened up about the fierce side of the sisters, which eventually helped them soar to remarkable success. Interestingly, this is not the first time when Macci has made such a remark about the competitive side of the Williams sisters, especially Serena. 

In an exclusive interview with Essentially Sports in December last year, Macci shared that a major reason behind Serena’s success was her competitiveness. “It was her competitiveness. It didn’t matter, if there was like a piece of chicken on the table she pushed Venus out of the way to get it. She had to be the first to take a drink. She was always like had to be first, she was so competitive,” Macci had remarked. 

Notably, this fierce side of Serena Williams came to light once again recently, when she cheekily highlighted feeling “salty” towards her elder sister. 

When Serena Williams revealed how Venus stopped her from winning more accolades

The “Ghetto Cinderellas”, as the name given to Serena and Venus Williams by their father, since they grew up playing amid occasional gunfire sounds in Compton, California, turned pro in 1994 and 1995, respectively. But despite their close bond, they have remained competitive and Serena recently revealed that had her elder sister not been in the picture, she would have maybe won a couple of more Grand Slams.

In an interaction with the New York Times in early December, the younger sister said, “I feel like if I didn’t have her, I would have minimum 30 (Grand Slams). You know, so I am kind of salty about her winning all those finals against me.” For the unversed, Venus and Serena faced each other 31 times on the tennis courts with 9 of them coming in the Grand Slam finals. And while Venus could win only two of these finals, her younger sibling believes that her absence would have let her amass more titles under her arsenal. 

Nevertheless, Serena Williams also highlighted the struggles of playing against her own sister. “To me, the most frustrating thing about playing against my sister is that it’s like playing against myself. I am pretty tough and she is pretty tough, so she gets every ball back, Every time I get a great serve, she’s [gets it back]. It would be an ace against anyone else but she gets it back,” she said in 2022. Now, as time evolves, it would be interesting to learn more interesting traits about the sisters that helped them reach glory.