Serena Williams’ former coach Rick Macci has lauded Iga Swiatek’s “relentless” mentality and compared the Polish star to his legendary former student.
In 1991, Macci started coaching Serena Williams, who was 10 years old, as well as her sister, Venus, who was 11. The seven-time USPTA national coach of the year worked with the sisters until 1995, and he has also trained Jennifer Capriati, Maria Sharapova, Andy Roddick, Mary Pierce and Anastasia Myskina among other future stars.
Serena Williams won 23 Grand Slam singles titles — an Open Era women’s record — during a staggering career spanning from 1995 to 2022.
Swiatek secured her sixth major at the 2025 Wimbledon Championships, where she delivered a stunning performance to demolish Amanda Anisimova 6-0, 6-0 in the final. The 24-year-old is yet to lose a Grand Slam championship match.
In an exclusive interview, Tennis365 asked Macci if he sees some of Serena Williams’ mentality and ruthlessness in Iga Swiatek.
“100%, and that’s the wildcard,” Macci said.
“That’s what separates great from good. They’re like a pit bull, they get a hold of you, they don’t let go. That’s what I always respected about Iga.
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“You saw it a little bit more over the years on the clay, she would just grind you down with brutal angles and you could see she was almost like a female version of [Rafael] Nadal. She would just grind you down.
“But yeah, I see that same focus, mentality, as you see in all great players, but Serena was the same way. Just relentless and… they probably feel they never lost, they just ran out of time.
“Champions are wired different and they think different and I put Iga in that category. And as long as she has the desire, I think bigger and better things are to come.”
The American has also predicted how many Grand Slams he thinks Swiatek will win in her career.
“Iga deserves a lot of credit… simply because, since 2020, she’s been the most dominant player by far,” Macci told Tennis365.
“Especially when she gets to the finals [at Grand Slams] — she’s won every time. That 37-match win streak [in 2022]. I mean, go back in time, you don’t see much of that.
“And you also gotta look at, there’s been a lot of ‘bagels’ (6-0 sets). She’s beat people badly. I think whenever you can dominate like that at the highest level, it’s rare air.
“She will definitely go down as one of the greatest players ever. Iga will be a double digit Grand Slam winner. As long as she has the desire.”
Swiatek is currently competing at the 2025 US Open, where she is vying for a second title after winning the 2022 edition of the hard-court major in New York.
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