Rick Macci is as strong a foundation stone in Serena and Venus Williams‘ extraordinary careers as their father Richard Williams, if not more. No other player in the history of the sport has had the kind of impact that the sister duo had on the tennis world and youngsters watching around the world.
But it is just as important to acknowledge one of the people who played an instrumental role in the iconic players’ initial years. In 1991, Richard called up his friend Macci in Florida to visit Compton, California, to have a look at the kids, and the latter obliged.
After watching Venus play, Macci told Richard that she would be the Michael Jordan of tennis. The father corrected him that there are going to be two, referring to both sisters.
Who is the Williams sisters’ former coach Rick Macci?
Rick Macci is a 67-year-old former American player and a highly successful tennis coach who has trained top players like Andy Roddick, Jennifer Capriati, Maria Sharapova, and the Williams sisters. He is a United States Professional Tennis Association (USPTA) Master Professional and a seven-time USPTA national coach of the year. USPTA is one of the world’s oldest and largest associations of tennis-teaching professionals.
Born and brought up in Ohio, Macci completed his education before setting up the Rick Macci International Tennis Academy in Florida’s Haines City in 1985, which was moved to Delray Beach in 1992. He became the youngest person to be inducted into the USPTA Hall of Fame in October 2017.
How long did Rick Macci coach the Williams sisters?
![Venus Williams receives instructions from her father Richard and coach Macci circa 1992. [PC: Ken Levine /Allsport]](data:image/svg+xml,<svg%20xmlns=%22http://www.w3.org/2000/svg%22%20viewBox=%220%200%201920%201299%22></svg>)
When Venus and Serena Williams were ten and nine years old, respectively, their entire family moved from Compton, California to West Palm Beach, Florida, where Macci started training them.
The sisters practiced together for the first time with Macci in 1991 and Richard took over coaching duties entirely in 1995 as he stopped sending his daughters to the academy.
Are Rick Macci and Richard Williams still friends?
Although Macci played a monumental role in shaping the careers of the Williams sisters, not many people knew about him until 2021, when the movie King Richard was released. The movie portrayed the struggles of Richard Williams, played by Will Smith, in nurturing her daughters into world-class players. Macci’s role was played by Jon Bernthal.
While Richard did not attend the premiere of the movie in November, Macci was present and met the Williams sisters for the first time in a while. However, Richard and Macci caught up with each other later in December and reminisced about the good old times.
King Richard 👑 One of the best fathers and my best friend. It was amazing catching up.. it’s like we never missed a beat! ❤️🔥LETS GO!!! https://t.co/1DTrxGkKWS
Is Rick Macci still Venus and Serena’s coach?
Richard Williams has been the only constant on the Williams sisters’ coaching staff since 1994. Although they have remained on good terms with each other, Macci, who says that both Serena and Venus are like his daughters, did not train them after 1995.