‘Greatness thinks like that’ declares renowned coach on Venus and Serena Williams mindset
Venus and Serena Williams represent the epitome of the mindset required for sporting greatness according to this legendary figure.
Rick Macci coached the Williams sisters in their early teenage years before they eventually went on to claim 30 Slam singles titles between them.
He also coached the likes of Maria Sharapova, Andy Roddick and Jennifer Capriati, all of whom reached world number one.
However, Macci knew something was different about Serena and Venus from the first time he met them.
“ I knew what was inside Venus and Serena,” he told Essentially Sports in an interview.
“Nothing fazed them, and this is a very unique quality. The mental part [of being a champion] was already baked in.
“When you’re a kid, the mental part takes longer. No, they weren’t intimidated by anybody.
“They didn’t think they ever lost. I think they thought, ‘I just ran out of time’.
“It’s a mindset, [basketball legend Michael] Jordan thinks like that. Greatness thinks like that.
“They weren’t intimidated by anything and that’s a big thing, that belief. They just had it in their minds [they were] going to be number one, there’s no doubt.”
Both Serena and Venus achieved career-highs of world number one, with Venus first doing so in February 2002 and Serena in July that year.
Serena has since accumulated 319 weeks in the position to date, including 186 weeks consecutively between February 2013 and September 2016, a joint WTA record with Steffi Graf.
Her total of 319 weeks places her third all-time on the WTA tour for most weeks at number one, only behind Martina Navratilova at 332 weeks and Graf at 377 weeks.
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