Serena Williams withdrew from her Wimbledon doubles match on Saturday, receiving mixed reactions from the tennis world. However, one person who has come out in support of the 23-time Grand Slam champion is her childhood tennis coach, Rick Macci, who made a statement lauding her decision to exit.
Williams withdrew from Wimbledon due to an injury to her knee. The withdrawal, however, sparked mixed reactions, and most of the criticism was directed at her last-minute announcement of pulling out of the tournament.
Her ex-coach, Macci, has, however, supported Williams’ decision to withdraw after analyzing her knee injury in detail. He wrote that while Williams could have pushed through the pain and played anyway, grass courts are not always recovery-friendly, especially due to their lower-traction nature, which can cause unexpected slips.
“Serena made the right decision. She has a little fluid on the knee and could of played doubles with Vee, but especially on grass, could of done more damage,” Macci said.
Macci then went on to forecast Williams’ summer schedule and speculated that the American legend could play a singles match as a warm-up before officially starting a singles and doubles campaign at the US Open with Venus Williams. Macci said:
“She will play singles before the U.S. OPEN and play singles and doubles in New York with VEE and will be must see TV.”
Serena Williams suffered an injury to her knee during her singles match with Maya Joint in the first round of Wimbledon on Tuesday. Joint ultimately took home the win after a grueling three-set match.
Serena Williams’ Early Tennis Journey With Childhood Coach Rick Macci
Rick Macci was a pivotal figure for the Williams sisters during their formative years, having coached both Serena and Venus throughout their junior careers from 1991 to 1995. Macci was so impressed with their skills that he decided to help relocate the Williams family from Compton to his Florida academy.
In the academy, Macci helped the sisters hone the basic skills that propelled their careers to great heights. He was also specifically impressed with her serve game.
After all these years, Macci still remembers the mindset that Serena walks onto a tennis court with, and after Williams made her Wimbledon comeback official, Macci admitted that the 23-time Grand Slam champion has nothing to prove but still has the grit and determination to win.
While Macci wrote about a possible U.S. Open comeback, it remains to be seen if Williams herself makes it official in the coming days or weeks.
Read more:
College Sports Network has you covered with the latest news, analysis, insights, and trending stories in tennis, college football, men’s college basketball, women’s college basketball, and college baseball!
