Coach answers on if he thought Serena Williams would be better than Venus at 10

Coach Rick Macci reveals he didn’t think Serena Williams would be better than Venus Williams when Serena was 10. Macci, who famously coached the Williams sisters for four years, is widely credited for the early development of the two American tennis icons. When Macci started coaching the Williams sisters, he instantly felt that Venus was the more mature one. However, Macci did also notice some special signs in Serena as well. “Was asked if I thought @serenawilliams would be better than @Venuseswilliams at age 10. NO. VW was more Mature Focused and the Work Ethic was off the Charts. The little one at age 10 did not even have a Chart but I did see a Huge Heart explosive Dart and an amazing Start,” Macci wrote on X.

Was asked if I thought @serenawilliams would be better than @Venuseswilliams at age 10. NO. VW was more Mature Focused and the Work Ethic was off the Charts. The little one at age 10 did not even have a Chart but I did see a Huge Heart explosive Dart and an amazing Start.

— Rick Macci (@RickMacci) December 21, 2023

Macci: It took Serena longer to mature

Last month, coach Macci was a guest on a podcast, where he recounted his early days with the Williams sisters. Recalling that period, Macci shared that Venus used to listen and do things without asking questions, while Serena always wanted an answer before doing something. “When she was 11, people would look at me like ‘What’s that mean?’ and I said ‘That just means championship quality at the highest level on top of everything.’ I could see this at a young age but mentally as a kid, she wasn’t like Venus. It took longer [than Venus] for her to mature. I’d say ‘Run!’, she’d go ‘Why?’ Sometimes it would be those conversations. I liked how she was wired so that’s the wildcard,” Macci said on the Match Point Canada podcast. Today, the Williams sisters are widely recognized as one of the best in tennis history. Serena finished her career with 23 Grand Slams, while Venus – who is still active – has seven Slams in her collection. Venus didn’t play any tournaments after the US Open due to a knee injury but she is targeting to play again in March.