"Some hot curly fries, a Snickers bar, a Pepsi and a Green Day t-shirt" - Rick Macci recalls 11-year-old Serena Williams' demands during training session
Rick Macci, who guided both Venus and Serena Williams during their formative years, is among the most respected names in tennis coaching circles. Having been involved with the Williams sisters' development even before they were teenagers, Macci is privy to plenty of interesting anecdotes about the modern-day legends.
Many of the stories were recreated for King Richard, a movie about the Williams sisters' father for which the American was a consultant. But Macci recently revealed an incident that did not make its way into the film, which served as a testament to Serena Williams' unparalleled confidence.
In a video uploaded to his official YouTube channel, Macci regaled fans with the tale of a practice session with Serena back in 1992. According to the 67-year-old, the younger Williams sister was being unusually stubborn and refused to move her feet.
When Macci reminded her that she would have to move her feet if she wanted to be the World No. 1, the 23-time Grand Slam champion glared at him and stated with conviction that she would become the No. 1 player regardless.
"It was July 1992, I was on the court with Serena [Williams] and Venus [Williams] was next door. Serena was standing in the corner and just running the clock out. You have to remember that she was 11 years old," Macci said. "I said to her, "Serena, you got to move your feet." She goes, "Why?" I said, "What do you mean why? You said you want to be No. 1 in the world." She says, "I will be No. 1" and she gave me [a] look.""
Serena then said she was hungry and that if the coach could get her what she wanted, she would make her sister look "slower than molasses". The list of demands included curly fries, a Snickers bar, a can of Pepsi and finally, a t-shirt featuring the music band 'Green Day' thrown in as a bonus.
"So I go, "Well, how can I get you to move your feet?" She says, "Rick, I am really, really hungry. Can you get Scott to get me some hot curly fries, a Snickers bar, a Pepsi and on the way back pick up a Green Day t-shirt? If you get me all that, I will make [Venus] look slower than molasses,"" Macci said.
The assistant was sent to procure all the items and came back with everything except for the t-shirt. Macci revealed that Serena proceeded to devour the snacks for 15 minutes before embarking on a training session he could only describe as "manic".
Macci disclosed that for one hour, Serena practiced every shot in the book with her hitting partner while sweating like the "Niagara Falls". She also made it a point to remind Macci that she still hadn't received the shirt she had asked for and that he better have it the next morning.
The American described his protege's attitude as not "cocky" or "arrogant", but rather the self-assurance of a pit-bull that never lets go of what it wants. Interestingly, this was the same term Richard Williams often used while describing Serena.
"So Scott gets all the goodies [except for the t-shirt], Serena has all her snacks for 15 minutes and goes back into the corner with her hitting partner. For an hour straight, no water. Sweat is coming off this kid like Niagara falls. Ripping groundstrokes, cross-court, down the line. Just like a maniac," Macci said.
"I was now on the other court with Venus and Serena goes, "Hey Rick! You better have that t-shirt in the morning!" That's not being cocky or arrogant, that's confidence. That's the little pit-bull that Richard and I saw early on," Macci added.
Serena Williams' ranking has slipped to 246
Now that the 2022 Australian Open has ended, Serena Williams' ranking has taken a massive tumble. Since she reached the semifinals in the previous edition and did not play this year because of her hamstring injury, the American has lost 720 ranking points.
In the live WTA rankings Serena has dropped down to 244, Osaka to 98, Kenin to 88, Jen Brady to 110. WTA being a hot mess. Love to see it.💀
With only 281 points to her name, the American has slipped to as low as World No. 246, her lowest ranking since 2018 when the 23-time Grand Slam champion returned after a hiatus due to pregnancy.
Also check out: Updated WTA WoMen's Tennis Rankings