Venus and Serena Williams’ former coach Rick March recently shared details of their encounter with the pair’s father, Richard Williams.
March coached Venus and Serena Williams in their early years. When Serena was nine years old, the Williams family decided to move from Compton to West Palm Beach, Florida.
The move was prompted by a desire to provide the sisters with the opportunity to be trained by March, a tennis coach who has trained players such as Andy Roddick, Jennifer Capriati and Maria Sharapova.
The 68-year-old was the coach of the Williams Sisters from 1991 to 1994. However, in 1995, Richard Williams assumed full coaching responsibilities and no longer sent his daughters to the youth academy. Madge played a vital role in improving their skills, ultimately propelling them on their extraordinary journeys as two of the most successful tennis players of all time.
Recently, Rick March shared details of a conversation he had with Richard Williams. March described Williams as a man with a great sense of humor who had memorable quips up his sleeve.
“When I was talking to Richard Williams yesterday and he was 100% that funny guy with the epic inside line, he said hey Rick, how are you feeling? I said great! RW’s response .I told you if you came to Compton I wouldn’t let you do this.” You were shot! ” Rick Macci posted on X (formerly Twitter).
‘We were literally brainwashed to be No. 1’ – Rick March on his relationship with Venus and Serena Williams
Last month, Rick March spoke about how his relationships with Venus and Serena Williams have evolved over the years. In 2021, the movie “King Richard” was released, showing the pivotal role March played in their respective careers.
during an appearance ATP Tennis Radio Podcast, Rick March spoke fondly of his encounter with the Williams sisters at a post-film party, where they took a joyful trip down memory lane.
“It’s amazing. You have to remember. When they’re nine to 15 years old, they see the game through a different lens, through Richard’s eyes or Olazin’s eyes or Rick March’s eyes , they were little kids. So when we were at the after-party, it was incredible because we reminisced,” he said.
March later revealed that both Venus and Serena Williams had confided in him, admitting they had been brainwashed into becoming the world’s number one players.
He recalled when the 23-time Grand Slam champion was just 10 years old, admitting she didn’t have great skills at that age. However, he always cited the achievements of tennis icons such as Steffi Graf, Martina Navratilova and Jennifer Capriati as inspiration to strengthen her determination.
“They all said ‘Rick, we were literally brainwashed to be No. 1,’ and if you had speed, agility and the right coaching, it might work, but I never talked to any of them, even then. When they were 10 and 11 years old, Serena wasn’t that good,” Rick March said.
“I probably have 10,000 parents who see that video and say, ‘My kid is better than that,’ but they don’t see what goes on behind the scenes and how this could develop as a coach’s program, and I always say, ‘S Teffy will get “Martina will understand, Capriati, and it won’t be against her. I’m not talking about 12-year-olds, that’s always the future and that’s how I develop players,” he added.
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