Serena Williams’ legendary former coach Rick Macci has told Tennis365 he believes the tennis icon can “beat anybody” when she makes her stunning Wimbledon comeback.
Williams, who played her last singles match at the 2022 US Open, won the last of her 23 Grand Slam singles titles — an Open Era women’s record — at the 2017 Australian Open.
The 44-year-old American made her comeback earlier this month in doubles at the Queen’s Club Championships, where she and Victoria Mboko won a match before her partner was forced to withdraw ahead of the second round. Williams then lost in the opening round of the Berlin Open doubles event with Karolina Muchova last week.
The former world No 1 will make her singles return at Wimbledon next week, having received a main draw wildcard for the grass-court major, which she has won seven times. She will also partner her sister, Venus Williams, in the women’s doubles event.
Macci began coaching Williams in 1991, when she was 10 years old, and worked with her until 1995, while he also coached Venus Williams during the same period.
In an exclusive interview with Tennis365, Macci revealed his reaction when he found out Williams was coming back.
“I wasn’t surprised,” said Macci. “Four years ago, when she unplugged and retired at the US Open, I still thought there was a lot left in the tank, and I still thought she was gonna play doubles with Venus.
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“If you rewind the tape, she never really closed the door… a [she had] lot of things going on in her life, had another child, had a lot of other interests.
“Where we’re at today, it doesn’t surprise me. I said it four months ago: ‘not only is she gonna play doubles, and I think it’s gonna happen at Wimbledon, I think she’ll play singles.’
“Listen, she’s all in, she’s been working hard, she’s been training. This isn’t a cameo. This isn’t for any other reason than she loves to compete. It’s still in her blood.
“It’s must-see TV, and I think all the ratings for tennis are gonna go through the roof.”
Macci explained why grass is the surface on which Williams is the most dangerous, while he identified recovery between matches as the biggest challenge for her.
“She’s doing it the right way by playing doubles to get used to the grass,” Macci assessed.
“Listen, she used to play two hours on grass back when she was a kid. She has the big serve, the clean groundstrokes, brutal return of serve.
“Doubles, you’re only covering half the court, so she stepped in for a little tune-up with the doubles, but 100%, singles was on the horizon.
“Grass is probably her best surface, simply because she can hurt people easier, and the points are quicker, shorter. And the other way around, they’re playing Serena Williams on the other side of the net.
“So nothing would surprise me if she did go and beat people. Is she gonna win the tournament? No.
“But can she do damage and beat anybody? I’m telling you, she can beat anybody on the tour, because when you’re nervous…
“The biggest thing is gonna be this, when she plays, and if she wins: the next day, and then the next day. It’s gonna be the recovery and the physicality.
“But to go in and compete, and be all in, this is what she wants to do. And her kids are a little older, she wants to have them watch her play a little more.
“And I think it’s great for tennis and it’s great for everybody, because people like a comeback, people are very curious.”
As well as the Williams sisters, Macci trained Jennifer Capriati, Maria Sharapova and Andy Roddick, who all went on to become world No 1 and win Grand Slam titles — as well as future major champions Mary Pierce, Anastasia Myskina and Sofia Kenin.
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