Childhood coach tells story about time he coached Serena Williams & Venus Williams

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• Serena Williams

Coach Rick Macci says Venus Williams wasn't only Serena Williams' older sister but also her best friend in their childhood. Macci, who famously coached Serena and Venus in their childhood, is widely credited for the early development of the Williams sisters.

Macci worked with the Williams sisters for a couple of years and was one of the first coaches who had a chance to see the special talent that Serena and Venus had for tennis. On the practice court, Serena was giving her best every single day but she also loved to treat herself with some snacks.

"@serenawilliams best friend as a kid was Venus. Always Happy Smiling trained like a Machine and was very Hungry. Her second best friend as a kid was the Snack Machine. She was Really Happy Smiling and had even more Hunger! SW ALWAYS ATTACKING ON AND OFF THE COURT," Macci wrote.

@serenawilliams best friend as a kid was Venus.Always Happy Smiling trained like a Machine and was very Hungry. Her second best friend as a kid was the Snack Machine. She was Really Happy Smiling and had even more Hunger! SW ALWAYS ATTACKING ON AND OFF THE COURT.

— Rick Macci (@RickMacci) August 22, 2023

Venus Williams revealed Serena texted her after a big Cincinnati win

Last week in Cincinnati, 43-year-old Venus clinched her first top-20 win since 2019 after beating Veronika Kudermetova 6-4 7-5 in the first round.

Afterward, Venus revealed that one of the first persons to congratulate her was her sister Serena. “She texted me after. She had a lot of encouraging words to say. She just is encouraging me to, you know, just to rise to be my best, because she believes in me and she knows what I have inside of me.

It's nice to have obviously her, because she knows and she knows what position I'm in and what it's like to be in this position. She knows what it's like to have something to give, but, like, you just need that opportunity.

So, it's nice that she believes in me,” Venus said. After beating Kudermova, Venus suffered a three-set defeat to Qinwen Zheng in the Cincinnati second round. This week, Venus was scheduled to play in Cleveland. But prior to her first-round match against Mirra Andreeva, Venus announced she was withdrawing from the event due to a knee injury. Venus Williams still hopes to compete at the US Open, which starts on Monday.