"We were good by Tuesday; we should be great by Friday" - Watch Richard Williams' tape of young Serena Williams and Venus Williams
In 1989, Richard Williams made a tape of eight-year-old Venus Williams and seven-year-old Serena Williams showcasing their tennis ability. He made the video to send it to renowned tennis guru Vic Braden.
Narrated by Richard himself, the video shows Venus and Serena practicing their serves and tennis shots under the supervision of their father in California.
Richard sent the video to Braden to convince him to let the sisters join his training camp.
"We want you to see how good they are in tennis," Richard Williams said. "These girls want an invitation to your tennis camp to come out and practice tennis, and hang out for about 3 days," he added.
Richard Williams' tape to Vic Braden youtu.be/YBkLYryb168 via @YouTube
I Love this!!!!
@serenawilliams @Venuseswilliams
Braden is a former tennis player who went on to become a master tennis instructor. He is universally acclaimed for using scientific methods to bring research-based instruction to tennis.
For his contribution to the game, he was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2017.
Through the '70s and '80s, he sold his tennis instructional manuals that were highly sought-after. One of his mantras was "I'll make you famous by Friday", in reference to the benefit to players following his instructions.
Alluding to that statement, Richard Williams said his daughters had been paying keen attention to Braden's instructions.
"We have your tape, 'Tennis our way' and we've been viewing it. The tape says, "You'll be good by Friday". Guess what, Vic? We got good by Tuesday, that's how good your tape is," Richard said.
The video then showed the pair in action, as Richard pointed out how good their form was when serving. Venus WIlliams also practiced her net play, followed by her groundstrokes and volleys.
Towards the end, Richard reiterated his initial statement, but this time he added that his daughters will be more than great by Friday.
"You kept saying we’d be good by Friday. We was good by Tuesday. We should be great by Friday,” Richard said.
The original video taken by Richard Williams was uploaded by Rick Macci
The video is already well-known in tennis circles, especially to people who are familiar with the Williams family. However, the original video has only now been uploaded by acclaimed tennis coach Rick Macci, as recently as Sunday on his official YouTube channel.
Venus and Serena Williams' former coach Rick Macci catches up with his "best friend" Richard Williams dlvr.it/SFJFwv
Speaking in an exclusive interview with the New York Times Magazine in 2012, Venus Williams said she vaguely remembered the video. She added that she does not often reminisce about the past, choosing to look to the future in general.
Both Venus and Serena Williams were formerly coached by Rick Macci during their formative years. Macci, in a recent interview, revealed that he had expected Venus Williams to have the more illustrious career of the two.
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