Coach Rick Macci declared Serena Williams “the best athlete by far to ever hold the racket.” Williams, a former 23-time Grand Slam champion, went down as one of the greatest and most dominant players in tennis history. Macci, who was famously coaching Serena and Venus Williams during their childhood, took to X to explain what made the American tennis icon such a ferocious athlete.
“@serenawilliams is the Best athlete by far (to) ever hold the racquet. SPEED POWER QUICKNESS SIZE STRENGTH ALL WRAPPED IN ONE MOBILE AGILE NIMBLE FIREY GOAT. Could do the Splits. OUCH! Broad jump backward on Overhead had everlasting Hang time.
Macci declares Williams ‘the best athlete by far’ in women’s tennis
Williams, who turned 42 on September 26th, retired from pro tennis after the 2022 US Open.
Earlier this year, Williams admitted that after retiring she had thoughts about returning to tennis because she felt she “could still play at a very high level.” “I for sure feel more at peace now. It’s interesting. I think I feel torn because I’m still able to play at a very, very, very high level.
With that being said, I always wanted to leave the game playing at a very high level. I also wanted to walk away when I’m healthy and have a quality of life. But I’m inch by inch leaning away, inch by inch embracing it. I was playing earlier when I first retired because it was hard to do it cold turkey.
But lately, I haven’t played so much. And I miss it. I’m like, ‘Oh my goodness. I gotta get out there’ But it’s hard for me to get out there. I did play the other day, and it’s just like, ‘There’s no way I shouldn’t be playing professional tennis’
Like, there’s literally no excuse. But I mean, I guess there is an excuse, right? It’s hard because when I’m playing I’m like, ‘Oh my gosh, I’m pretty good at this. I can continue to do this,’ which not a lot of people can say,” Williams told E! in February. In August, Williams gave birth and became a mother for the second time.
