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Unique Tennis Perspectives

Rick Macci

Rick Macci On His First Meeting Richard, Venus and Serena Williams

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Rick Macci was dubbed “the coach of prodigies” by Hall of Fame journalist and personality Bud Collins. His reputation as such started when he worked with a pre-teen Jennifer Capriati in the 1980s, but it was burnished when he worked with Venus and Serena Williams when the future legends were only 9 and 10 years old.

In his book “Macci Magic: Extracting Greatness From Yourself And Others” ($19.95, New Chapter Press, available here on Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1937559254/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_vfRvtb1P14M50T4C ), Macci describes his incredible first ever meeting with Richard Williams and his first on-court experience with Venus and Serena. This meeting is also re-created in the movie “King Richard” starring Will Smith. The first part of the chapter “Venus and Serena Williams” from the book is excerpted here below:

I was at the Easter Bowl in 1991 in Florida one afternoon and watching kids from the academy compete and someone mentioned to me that there was a girl out in California who had a lot of potential and had just been in the New York Times. I knew every kid in the country and I had never heard of this girl named Venus Williams. And they said, “Yeah, she’s in the New York Times and there is a lot of potential.”

One thing led to another and an agent from Advantage International said, “Mr. Williams is going to give you a call because they are eventually looking to move from California to Florida to come to a tennis academy.” I said, “OK, give me a call.” A couple weekends passed and Richard Williams ended up giving me a call, probably one of the most bizarre and interesting conversations I ever had in my life. We started talking and he explained to me where they’re at, and so on and so forth, and he wanted to know if I wanted to come out to Compton and take a look at his girls. The only thing I knew about Compton was that it was kind of a rough neighborhood back in the day. He said, “The only thing I can guarantee you is I won’t let you get shot!!”

I thought I’ve got to meet this guy! I said, “Hey, it’s May, it’s kind of slow. I’ll come out for a weekend.”                

I was very curious because if someone was that good, from what other people said, I know what good would be. I didn’t have anything to do that weekend, so I booked a ticket and flew out to Compton and got into LAX, got a cab to the hotel in Compton. That night Richard and Oracene and Venus and Serena came over and it was interesting because Venus sat on one knee of her dad and Serena sat on his other knee and we had this two-hour conversation. Richard was asking me all kinds of questions. He actually was very insightful because he knew a lot of things that I was surprised about. He knew who I taught and what I’ve done and which kids have won national tournaments, how many times I’ve been coach of the year. He did some homework, so he kind of had the pulse on my career.

The night ended and he said, “I’ll pick you up at 6:30 in the morning and we’ll go to Compton Hills Country Club and that’s where we’re going to practice.” He picked me up at 6:30 in the morning in an old Beetle bus, kind of wobbling side to side. I got in there in the passenger side and there was a spring sticking out of the seat and I was afraid I would harpoon myself and be permanently injured. So I watched how I sat, for sure. Venus and Serena were in the back of it and there must have been three months’ worth of McDonalds and Burger King wrappers in there, and many Coke cans and bottles, tennis balls all over. I asked, “Do you guys sleep in here?” He said, “Sometimes if I have to. Depends on the wife!”

We pulled up to the park and I thought we were going to a country club. He said, “No, this is the Compton Hills Country Club. I named it that.” I thought this guy was crazy. And I was right. Crazy like a fox! More on that later. It was a park that had two courts and it was about 7 o’clock on a Saturday morning and there were about 20 guys playing

basketball and there were another 15 people at least passed out on the grass. There was broken glass and beer bottles everywhere. This was definitely different than the luxurious Grenelefe Golf & Tennis Resort, where I was director of tennis. So it was really a culture shock to see the situation.

When Richard and Venus and Serena got out of the car everybody acknowledged Richard. They called him King Richard. They acknowledged the girls. They stopped playing basketball and parted like the Red Sea and we walked through the basketball courts to get to the tennis courts. They were very respectful of the girls, probably because of the publicity. We go onto the tennis courts and they’re kind of like the courts I grew up on. They were broken, chipped up and broken glass was all over the court. The courts

didn’t need resurfacing, they needed to be blown up.

I remember Richard had a shopping cart attached to the net post and it had about 20 feet of chain around it. He got the balls from the car and it took him about 20 minutes to get the chain off the basket that was attached around the post so nobody would steal it. He filled up the basket with balls, and they were all dead balls. But I brought a case of new balls because I thought maybe they might not have the best balls.

After we got organized and had all the balls in there, Venus and Serena kind of jogged around the court. One thing I noticed right off the bat: Venus ran kind of different. She was very long, very tall and had strides like a gazelle. I said, “Ah, that’s interesting.” I was thinking she should run track and not pursue tennis. This isn’t very common for tennis, someone who is spindly. She was like a praying mantis. There was a lot of length there in her stride. Serena was very stocky and compact as a 9-year-old.

I started feeding them balls. One blueprint in seeing a lot of kids is that I see greatness technically at a young age. I coached Jennifer Capriati for three years and    biomechanically Jennifer was not only one of the best ever in those areas of the game, she was one of best ball strikers ever. So now I’m seeing these girls from Compton and they had beads in their hair and they were swinging at the balls and their arms and legs and hair were flying everywhere. There were elbows going right and legs going back, there was improvising all over. So cosmetically I’m looking at this and I’m thinking, “This is a train wreck! This is all hype and I cannot believe I’m in Compton, California, ruining my weekend.” I didn’t think they were really that good. I had seen all the kids and had just come from the Easter Bowl and I’d had many kids win every national at that time.

I thought Venus and Serena looked like decent athletes but technically they were all over the map just because they were improvising. You could tell they just didn’t have quality instruction. After about an hour we started doing competitive things where Venus would do something against Serena even though Venus was much better at the time. Richard said, “I prefer that they not play against each other.” So I said, “OK” and had one of them come and play with me. So we started competing and right then and there their stock rose immediately. My whole perception — and this is a good lesson for any parent or coach — you don’t judge a book by its cover. I looked cosmetically and I saw what I wanted to see. And I come from a vast background of information and I passed judgment that I thought they were limited. Now when they start competing I saw the preparation get a little quicker, I saw the footwork get a little faster, I saw consistency raise a little higher. I thought, “OK, they went from just maybe average kids their age to they could be some of the better prospects in the country.” At least now their stock was at a point where I thought they’re good, there’s some potential here. Athletically they were unique for sure.

But technically they were still a train wreck. Just a lot of things were really way off. They hadn’t had world-class instruction. But the way they competed, and they didn’t want to lose the point, to me their stock rose even more. To me that’s always the X factor, the way someone competes. Venus and Serena had a deep down burning desire to fight and compete at this age. It was unique. Unreal hunger.

Then Venus asked Richard if she could go to the bathroom. There was a lot of hugging and kissing going on. There were a great close knit, loving family. So Venus decided to go to the bathroom. She went out the gate and the first 10 feet she walked on her hands. And the next 10 feet she went into backward cartwheels.

Now I’m seeing this girl and I’m thinking, “How tall are these girls going to be?” He says, “They’re both going to be over 6 feet, strong and powerful.” And I said, “Let me tell you something. I think you have the next female Michael Jordan on your hands.” And he put his arm around me and he said, “No brother man, I’ve got the next two.” At 10 and 9 years old.

“MACCI MAGIC,” available where books are sold, including here on Amazon.com: http://m1e.net/c?150001094-X99l/7XH5chA2%4063364085-8b8oWs74ZG6qQ  is the entertaining and inspirational manual and memoir that helps pave the way to great achievement not only in tennis, but in business and in life. Macci, known as the coach of tennis phenoms, including five world No. 1 players – Venus and Serena Williams, Jennifer Capriati, Andy Roddick and Maria Sharapova – shares his secrets to success both on and off the tennis court through anecdotes and more than 100 of his famous “Macci-ism” sayings that exemplify his teaching philosophy and illustrate the core role and power of positive thinking in the molding of a champion.

The book was written with Jim Martz, the former Miami Herald tennis writer, author and current Florida Tennis magazine publisher. Former world No. 1 and U.S. Open champion Andy Roddick contributed the foreword to the book while another teen phenom student of Macci’s, Tommy Ho, wrote a preface to the book.

Among those endorsing the book are ESPN basketball commentator and tennis fan Dick Vitale who says of Macci, “He will share his secrets for becoming a better all-around person and tennis player and gives you all the tools you will need to assist you in THE GAME OF LIFE!”

Said Mo Vaughn, three-time Major League Baseball All-Star, former American League MVP, “Rick Macci is the best coach I’ve seen. He can coach any sport on any level in any era. That’s due to his ability to communicate directly with his athletes on a level that they clearly understand the technique and what it takes both physically and mentally to be successful. Ultimately the best thing about Rick Macci is that no matter your age, ability or goals being with him on a consistent basis will teach you life lessons that you can take with you regardless of what you do. Rick Macci can make any person better just by his coaching style. My daughter Grace is lucky to have Rick Macci in her life.”

Said Vince Carter, NBA All-Star and Olympic gold medalist of Macci, “As a professional athlete, I have been around many coaches. Rick’s dedication and commitment to turning kids into great tennis players is paramount. The confidence and technique he continues to instill in my daughter amazes me. Rick Macci’s ability to cultivate a player is a testimony of his dynamic coaching skills.”

Said popular tennis coach and personality Wayne Bryan, father of all-time great doubles team Bob & Mike Bryan, “Rick Macci has long been at the very top of the mountain as a tennis coach. Venus Williams, Serena Williams, Andy Roddick, Jenny Capriati are on his laundry list of Grand Slam champs and all-time greats that he has worked with, but he has coached so, so many other pros and Division I college players through the years. He is a coaches’ coach. He is passionate, motivational, dedicated to the game and players, super hard working from dawn to dusk and into the night when the court lights come on, very bright, knows the game inside and out, still learning, and still striving. He is engaging, fun and funny. His new book is loaded with great stuff and stories are such a great way to entertain and educate and inspire — and no one can tell a story or give a lesson better than Rick. You will enjoy this book and be a better person for having read it.”

Macci is a United States Professional Tennis Association (USPTA) Master Professional, and seven-time USPTA coach of the year. He founded he Rick Macci Tennis Academy and has been inducted into the Florida USPTA Hall of Fame. He lives in Boca Raton, Florida.

Founded in 1987, New Chapter Press (www.NewChapterMedia.com) is also the publisher of “The Education of a Tennis Player” by Rod Laver with Bud Collins, “The Greatest Tennis Matches of All-Time” and “Pete Sampras: Greatness Revisited” by Steve Flink, “Juan Martin del Potro: The Gentle Giant” by Sebastian Torok, “The Pros: The Forgotten Era of Tennis” by Peter Underwood, ” “Roger Federer: Quest for Perfection” by Rene Stauffer, “The Bud Collins History of Tennis” by Bud Collins, “The Wimbledon Final That Never Was” by Sidney Wood, “Acing Depression: A Tennis Champion’s Toughest Match” by Cliff Richey and Hilaire Richey Kallendorf, “Titanic: The Tennis Story” by Lindsay Gibbs, “Jan Kodes: A Journey To Glory From Behind The Iron Curtain” by Jan Kodes with Peter Kolar, “Tennis Made Easy” by Kelly Gunterman, “On This Day In Tennis History” by Randy Walker, “A Player’s Guide To USTA League Tennis” by Tony Serksnis, “A Backhanded Gift” by Marshall Jon Fisher “Boycott: Stolen Dreams of the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games” by Tom Caraccioli and Jerry Caraccioli (www.Boycott1980.com) among others.

“Macci Magic” is the book by Rick Macci which describes his dealings with Venus, Serena and Richard Williams

Tennis History And Instructional Books Available For The Holidays From New Chapter Press

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“The Greatest Tennis Matches of All Time” by 2017 International Tennis Hall of Fame inductee Steve Flink highlights many New Chapter Press tennis book offerings that make for excellent gift ideas this holiday season.

“The Greatest Tennis Matches of All Time” features profiles and rankings of the greatest matches of all time dating from the1920s featuring Bill Tilden and Suzanne Lenglen up through the modern era of tennis featuring contemporary stars Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova. Flink breaks down, analyzes and puts into historical context the sport’s most memorable matches, providing readers with a courtside seat at these most celebrated and significant duels. Flink also includes a fascinating “greatest strokes of all-time” section where he ranks and describes the players who best executed all the important shots in the game through the years.

The book is published by New Chapter Press, the premier global publisher of tennis books.

The hard-cover book, that makes for a centerpiece of a coffee table or at your local tennis club, retails for $28.95, and can be purchased here on Amazon.com https://www.amazon.com/dp/0942257936/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_x_Qj-rybVBRK7ZW or at www.NewChapterMedia.com and where ever books are sold.

Flink, one of the most respected writers and observers in the game, is currently a columnist for TennisChannel.com. A resident of Katonah, N.Y., he is the former editor of World Tennis magazine and a former senior columnist at Tennis Week. The book has received high praise from some of the most respected names in the sport, including Chris Evert, a winner of 18 major singles titles in her career, who wrote the foreword to the book. Said seven-time Wimbledon champion Pete Sampras, “Steve Flink was there reporting on almost every big match I played in my career. He has seen all of the great players for the last 45 years. I encourage you to read this book because Steve is one of the most insightful writers on the game that I have known and he really knows his tennis.”

The Secrets of Spanish Tennis ($19.95 for sale here https://www.amazon.com/dp/1937559491/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_U_x_2DUjAb11C47RB by New York City elite tennis teaching professional Chris Lewit, is the culmination of years of study on the Spanish way of training by Lewit, who visited many of the top Spanish academies and studied and interviewed some of the leading coaches in Spain to discern and distill this unique and special training methodology.

The Greatest Jewish Tennis Players of All Time ($19.95 for sale here https://www.amazon.com/dp/193755936X/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_U_x_WKUjAbQJMXVJG) by tennis journalist Sandra Harwitt is unique among other books on tennis as it is a guide to the best and most influential Jewish tennis players in the history of the sport. It includes features and biographies of the greatest players, stories of both break-out success and anti-Semitism. This history also discusses the ways in which Jewish individuals have been instrumental behind the scenes, playing key roles in the growth of tennis into one of the world’s most popular sports.

Other recommended tennis titles are as follows;

The Wimbledon Final That Never Was ($19.95 for sale here https://www.amazon.com/dp/0942257847/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_U_x_6LUjAb1CNQJSG) tells of one of the most dramatic and unusual episodes in tennis history told by 1931 Wimbledon champion Sidney Wood. The volume also features tales of a by-gone era of sports and society via a compilation of short stories that deliver fascinating anecdotes of the 1930s and a signature document of the play and styles of 20th-century tennis legends.

Titanic: The Tennis Story ($19.95 for sale here https://www.amazon.com/dp/1937559041/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_U_x_FNUjAbV8X1V9K) by Lindsay Gibbs is the stirring and remarkable historical novel that tells the story of the intertwined life of Dick Williams and Karl Behr who survived the sinking of the Titanic and went on to have Hall of Fame tennis careers. Two years after both had harrowing escapes from the famous disaster, the two met in the quarterfinals of the modern-day U.S. Open. An emotional and touching work, this novel brings one of the most extraordinary sports stories to life in literary form. This real-life account – with an ending seemingly plucked out of a Hollywood screenplay – weaves the themes of love, tragedy, history, sport and perseverance.

On This Day In Tennis History ($19.95, 528 pages, for sale here https://www.amazon.com/dp/0942257421/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_U_x_HOUjAbD91C0SF) is a fun and fact-filled, this compilation offers anniversaries, summaries, and anecdotes of events from the world of tennis for every day in the calendar year written by Randy Walker. Presented in a day-by-day format, the entries into this mini-encyclopedia include major tournament victory dates, summaries of the greatest matches ever played, trivia, and statistics as well as little-known and quirky happenings.

Macci Magic: Extracting Greatness From Yourself And Others by Rick Macci ($19.95 for sale here https://www.amazon.com/dp/1937559254/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_U_x_XPUjAbS7M86V5) offers the secrets to success both on and off the tennis court by master coach and motivator Rick Macci, who coached tennis superstars Venus and Serena Williams, Jennifer Capriati, Andy Roddick and Maria Sharapova among others. Through anecdotes and more than 100 sayings that exemplify his teaching philosophy, this inspirational manual helps pave the way to great achievement not only in tennis, but in business and in life.

Founded in 1987, New Chapter Press (www.NewChapterMedia.com) is also the publisher of “Andy Murray, Wimbledon Champion: The Full Extraordinary Story” by Mark Hodgkinson, “The Bud Collins History of Tennis” by Bud Collins, “Sport of a Lifetime” by Judy Aydelott, “Macci Magic: Extracting Greatness From Yourself And Others” by Rick Macci with Jim Martz, “How To Permanently Erase Negative Self Talk So You Can Be Extraordinary” by Emily Filloramo, “Acing Depression: A Tennis Champion’s Toughest Match” by Cliff Richey and Hilaire Richey Kallendorf, “Your Playbook For Beating Depression” by Cliff Richey and Mary Garrison, “The Education of a Tennis Player” by Rod Laver with Bud Collins, “Roger Federer: Quest for Perfection” by Rene Stauffer, “The Days of Roger Federer” by Randy Walker, “Jan Kodes: A Journey To Glory From Behind The Iron Curtain” by Jan Kodes with Peter Kolar, “Tennis Made Easy” by Kelly Gunterman, “On This Day In Tennis History” by Randy Walker (www.TennisHistoryApp.com), “A Player’s Guide To USTA League Tennis” by Tony Serksnis, “Court Confidential: Inside The World Of Tennis” by Neil Harman, “A Backhanded Gift” by Marshall Jon Fisher, “Boycott: Stolen Dreams of the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games” by Tom Caraccioli and Jerry Caraccioli (www.Boycott1980.com), “Internet Dating 101: It’s Complicated, But It Doesn’t Have To Be” by Laura Schreffler, “How To Sell Your Screenplay” by Carl Sautter, “The Lennon Prophecy: A New Examination of the Death Clues of The Beatles” by Joe Niezgoda, “Bone Appetit: Gourmet Cooking For Your Dog” by Suzan Anson, “The Rules of Neighborhood Poker According to Hoyle” by Stewart Wolpin among others.

 

"The Greatest Tennis Matches of All Time"
“The Greatest Tennis Matches of All Time”

"The Greatest Tennis Matches of All Time"
“The Greatest Tennis Matches of All Time”

 

The Raw Power of Mary Pierce – “Macci Magic” Book Excerpt

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Mary Pierce played professional tennis in one of the most remarkable eras ever in the history of women’s tennis. Her rivals were Steffi Graf, Monica Seles and Arantxa Sanchez Vicario who accounted for 35 majors. (Graf – 22, Seles – 9, Sanchez-Vicario – 4) Despite this rugged competition, Pierce was able to wedge out two major titles – the 1995 Australian Open and the 2000 French Open – while also posting four runner-up showings at majors (1994 and 2004 French, 1997 Australian, 2005 U.S. Open). She won 18 career singles titles, 10 career doubles titles (including the 2000 French Open) and also helped France win two Fed Cup titles in a career that has gained her near entry into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.

Legendary coach Rick Macci worked for a period of time with Pierce and profiles her in his book “Macci Magic! Extracting Greatness From Yourself And Others” (available for sale here: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1937559254/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_qxdsxb0KPYBAQ. The excerpt from his chapter on Pierce is found here below.

 

I first saw Mary Pierce play tennis when she was 12 years old; she had very good compact strokes. The forehand and backhand were very solid and she was going to be a strong girl, so I knew off the ground she would have firepower when she went onto the pro tour. Her athletic ability was OK. It wasn’t off the charts but it wasn’t going to be a detriment. Her serve could be developed. This probably was when she was about age 15, when I was in Delray Beach and Venus and Serena were 11 and 12.

The Pierces decided to leave IMG Academy because they felt they weren’t getting enough attention. I talked to Mary’s father, Jim, and worked out an arrangement where I got them a place to live and she could train at the academy and I’d give her a hitting partner. And we’d eventually work a deal out so I could help her more and more and she could play out of the academy. She was just starting to dabble on the pro tour at 16 years old, playing some $25,000 tournaments and some $50,000 tournaments.

What I really liked about Mary was the power she possessed. She didn’t back up at all. She took the ball early. Her groundstrokes were very compact on both sides. Basically, she just hit the crap out of the ball! Full throttle! I guess you could say piercing, but I won’t say that.

But it was very obvious to me that Jim was very controlling and it was him really living through his daughter. The mom hardly said a word and Mary didn’t have a lot to say and brother David was quite young at the time, so he was just kind of there at the academy hitting balls. It was really Jim and he’d do some drills with her. I remember a drill called the Colombian Suicide Drill in which he’d throw balls to her. I have no idea what the benefit of this was but it made him feel good. But Jim is a good guy. He wanted to be in control like most of the fathers but he couldn’t hit the ball and really didn’t have the idea of the technical part or strategic part. Yet like most of these fathers they want the credit and that was fine. I just wanted to help her and she was a great girl. But even when she was 16 years old, I knew she wasn’t going to be a Venus or Serena Williams, even though they were only 11 and 10 and little kids. No one thought that Venus and Serena were good at a young age, they just saw mistakes and they just saw what they wanted to see. Remember there is an art to really evaluating talent and few possess that vision and can feel the future.

Nothing was going to make me take the eye off the ball with Venus and Serena even though I had this girl, who is 16 years old and she’s starting to beat people ranked No. 80, 90, 100 in the world. I was having a coach from the academy go with her to tournaments, so we were really trying to help her in this situation. Whenever I had a chance, I’d spend time with her and work with her. But I provided, more importantly, the environment because I was spending so much time with the Williams girls. Then when we wanted to enter into a contract — I’ll never forget this — Jim went to IMG and they prepared a contract and in the contract it said if I want to say anything to Mary I have to tell Jim first, then he would tell Mary. And I said, “You’ve got to be kidding me.” I don’t even think I read the rest of it. I just crumbled it up and shot a 10-foot jump shot into the trash can (made it. Basketball days, Greenville, Ohio) and said, “You can practice here and whatever you want to do is fine” because obviously he wanted control of the situation and I just didn’t need that type of situation. I wanted to help everybody and, more importantly, my main focus was Venus and Serena. If I was going to go really above and beyond something I didn’t need to deal with that.

We just helped them out. And then I said to Jim, “Since we’re not going to do the deal you’ve got to take care of your own condo. Your daughter is starting make some money now.” That didn’t sit too well with him. He got a little upset with that one. But that’s the way it is.

I remember one day, a bit later on, I was waiting for her on the court at 7 in the morning in Delray. They were staying on the fifth floor at the old Laver’s tennis resort where they have these high-rise condos and I hear an argument up there. All of a sudden I see clothes flying through the air like kites as the hitting partner and I are waiting down below on the court. I guess there was some argument or something and it was just kind of interesting to see all this stuff flying down. Fifteen minutes later Mary comes down and she feels badly and apologizes and gives me a note apologizing. She was embarrassed about what happened. She was such a sweet kid but very mentally strong. I really admired that quality. I feel I probably helped instill that attribute and it helped make Mary a better player.

I told Jim, “Listen, I know you’ve driven a lot of stuff into her but you don’t want to drive her away from you because at 18 you never know what’s going to happen.” Lo and behold at 18 years old the whole thing took a wrong turn and she didn’t want him around. That was unfortunate because Jim’s a good guy and I like him and it was more about him and a strong ego. Jim did a great job getting her to where she got to. She won the French Open in 2000 and the Australian Open in 2005 and was ranked as high as No. 3 in 1995.

As far as pure striking of the ball, the forehand and the backhand, Jennifer Capriati is No. 1 and Mary Pierce is No. 1-A. Mary was right behind her. I’ve seen her take Steffi Graf and a lot of people to the woodshed playing right through them. You talk about someone who could just annihilate you with just raw power. Even on clay Mary could do that. When she’s fearless and she’s on a mission, you talk about someone who could just play through someone with relentless power. Wow!

It wasn’t a long relationship with Mary, even though Jim stayed there for four or five years. But Mary was an awesome kid and deserved whatever came her way. I think if she’d had a little more indepth coaching and a little better athleticism and really learned how to change the pace and slice the ball, coupled with that power, she could have played up even another level. She had a great career and just like Jennifer Capriati, she could overwhelm anybody if she was confident. Because she was rock solid on both the forehand and backhand side and because she took the ball early, she going to be able to dictate matches on her terms. When you play someone like that you’ve got to be careful because they could beat anybody, anytime, anywhere. But if you’re not dialed in, it could be trouble and sometimes Mary’s phone was not working!

Looking back on working with her and helping her, even though she was a pro and I felt she had Top 10 written all over her, I knew these two younger warriors from Compton, Calif., could transcend the game. So my loyalty or my true dedication, if I was going to have to go above and beyond the call of duty, was always going to be with Venus and Serena.

Mary Pierce
Mary Pierce

The Venus Williams Pro Debut at the 1994 Bank of the West Classic

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There probably has never been a more anticipated pro tennis debut than when Venus Williams played at the 1994 Bank of the West Classic.

The tournament was then an indoor event played in the fall and Williams, then 14-years-old, was given a wild card into the event to test her skills against the pros after not playing junior tennis at all, outside of a handful of 10-and-under local tournaments in Southern California.

Rick Macci was the coach of Venus Williams – and her younger, then overlooked little sister Serena – at the time and takes readers behind the scenes at this historic event in tennis in his new book “Macci Magic: Extracting Greatness From Yourself And Others.”

Called the “coach of phenoms,” Macci has coached five players who have gone on to rank No. 1 in the world (Venus and Serena Williams, Jennifer Capriati, Andy Roddick and Maria Sharapova.) His book “Macci Magic” – available here: http://www.amazon.com/Macci-Magic-Extracting-Greatness-Yourself/dp/1937559254/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1406548188&sr=8-1 Macci shares his secrets to success both on and off the tennis court, mixed in with stories of his most famous pupils and a list of his famous motivational “Macci-isms.” The excerpt discussing the 1994 Bank of the West Classic from Macci’s revealing chapter on Venus and Serena Williams and their father Richard is found here:

 

In 1994, the WTA made an age eligibility rule change where you could not turn pro at age 14. They called it the “Capriati Rule.” They didn’t want kids to get burned out and all this nonsense. I told Richard, “Listen, now you have to make a decision, your first real decision in this whole situation. Either Venus has to turn pro or you’re going to let the WTA dictate to you how many tournaments she can play at 15, 16, 17 years old. Richard didn’t like to be told what to do by anybody. He said, “OK, we’ve got to work on getting a wild card. Let’s play.”

And if they hadn’t made that rule change Venus wouldn’t have turned pro at 14 and made her debut. The only reason she did that was to get under the clock so she would be grandfathered in this rule change. So it was very ironic. That wouldn’t have happened. She wouldn’t have made her debut in 1994. History would play out a little differently. Timing in life is everything and determines everything.

Now the debut was going to happen. This was June and we got her a wild card into the Bank of the West Classic played in November of 1994 in Oakland, California, and run by IMG. I told Richard, “Now we’ve got to amp it up. We’ve got to practice a little more, turn up the volume, a little more intense.” He said, “I agree. I agree.”

The next day after this decision, Venus doesn’t show up for practice. A day later he calls me and says, “We’re at Disney World.” The guy went to Disney World for a week. I want to turn the volume up, he turns it down. This is Richard!

Then they come back and we start practicing a little harder, a little more focus. Think of it – she hadn’t played a real tournament in three-and-a-half years. She’s playing boys and is getting bageled and getting crushed every day. She hasn’t beaten anybody in three-and-a-half years. She has not won a match in three-and-a-half years in practice. She’s played boys 16, 17 and 18 years old.

I knew when she made her debut that people would be very, very impressed in how she tried to play. But I didn’t know if she was going to spray every ball out or if she would be so nervous she couldn’t play. I didn’t know how she would respond to the fans in the stands. But I knew all the players and media would see this girl for her coming out party and say, “Wow, I’ve never seen anything like that. Wow, she’s tall and she has a great serve.” And she had a lot of open stance, she played very different, but does that mean she’s going to win? I had no idea. But was she going to be great? I said, “Yes, no doubt!”

We take her to Oakland. The year before, I believe there were 24 media credentials given out for the tournament, and this year there were 252. Venus was coming. It was almost like Elvis arriving in the building. There had never been anything like it. We go to the practice court on the outside and there are 300 people watching her practice. And she’s out there practicing better than she ever had in three years. Venus was so ready to tee it up! I was so proud of her. She was stoked and dialed in! Venus Williams was ready to compete!

This was like a lion being in a cage, and now you’re going to let this lion out and she gets to perform. I couldn’t believe how she was hitting the ball with the hitting partner. She was so pumped up and I was really pleased she turned up the volume. The next day we were going to play a practice set and she’d never beaten the hitting partner named Gerard. I actually told Gerard, “Make it close, let her win in the tiebreak.” Usually, he beats her like a drum 6-0, 6-1. They played and Venus won 7-6 and she had a smile on her face ear to ear. She was always smiling but she was so happy and said, “Rick, I’m playing so unbelievable. For the first time ever I beat Gerard.” So mentally she didn’t realize that he didn’t go 100 percent and you couldn’t tell it. I don’t know if Richard or Oracene could tell it but mentally I was getting her ready. I wanted that confidence to be at an all-time high. Venus was ready to go into orbit!

The draw put her against Shaun Stafford, who was a former NCAA singles champion who had been ranked as high as the 20s but was now ranked No. 57 in the world. She had a good serve, good power, but was a little inconsistent and had a shoulder injury. It was a match that Venus was definitely going to get games. What was unfortunate, I just felt, everybody at this tournament wanted her to lose. There was so much hype that this was the best thing since sliced bread and Richard could rub people the wrong way. And people love to see people fail in our society. Too much hate! Not cool.

She went out to play the match and Richard had her racquet painted with no logo. It was almost like “I’m available for rent.” He bought clothes for her from JC Penney that had no logos. He might have put a “for rent” tag on there too! It was the funniest thing. All I cared about was Venus enjoying the competition and show the world her wiring and greatness. It was an incredible thing. I can picture point by point even today this girl going out there running like Bambi and using an open stance on every shot and having no fear….just no fear. All in 100 percent! Moreover, the match was played on Halloween night and the scariest thing out there was her serve.

It was 115 miles per hour at age 14. (At age 10 it was 74.) She played so smart, so aggressive, winning 6-3, 6-4. When she won, she was jumping up and down at the net and there was a smile ear to ear. I had never seen her that happy! And everybody was in shock that this girl can walk off the street after not playing a competitive tournament — junior, college, no matter, nothing — right into the pros and beat the No. 57 in the world. It had never been done. It will never be done again. Now the media was going out of control because they’re already anointing her that she’s going to be greatest — except the players. Martina Navratilova said, “Ah, she’s tall. She’s got a good serve. Wait until she feels the pressure.” I’m thinking sour grapes. But I’m also thinking Venus loves pressure. It’s her best friend. Venus is all about the battle. Bring it on. Pressure is Compton. This is fun! Pressure is an honor to a competitor.

Venus did the press conference, and it was all about her being happy and being 14 and loving to play and she really enjoyed it. But next on the menu was Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario, who was No. 1 in the world. Steffi Graf had a knee injury so Arantxa had moved up to the top ranking. What was interesting was when Venus played the match against Stafford she stood up the whole match on the changeovers and was bouncing like a boxer in the corner of a ring, because at the academy we never allowed the kids to sit down during practice. And there’s a chair there on the side, as there is at every tournament, and Venus didn’t even know what it was for because she hadn’t played any matches! She just stood up and kept bouncing. Is that crazy or what? Crazyeee!

I’ll never forget Bud Collins on ESPN said, “Her coach Rick Macci said, ‘There’s a chair there, you’re supposed to sit down. This isn’t like at the academy.’ And now she knows what that chair’s for.” As Bud said, “This is unprecedented. It really sets junior tennis back. They might as well shut it down because no one’s ever done it like this.” He said it best. No junior competition in three and a half years. Stone cold raw and bang, bang, I beat No. 57 in the world!

The next day she plays Sanchez-Vicario and everybody is expecting 6-0, 6-0. I knew if she played her forehand 24/7 and just came in a little bit, anything can happen if someone feels pressure. Venus was up 6-3, 3-1 and I’m sitting there with Bud Collins and he said, “Rick, I’m telling you right now, this will be the greatest upset in the history of sports. Forget tennis. Forget Ali-Frazier. Forget the 1969 Mets. The history of sports. A girl walks off the street, never playing a junior tournament in the last three and a half years, never played a pro tournament and beats the No. 1 player in the universe. If you think of it in that context, it’s make believe.” And he was right. Only in women’s tennis, because there’s the age thing the kind of comes into play in that.

The next game was real close — ad, ad, ad, ad – and she lost it. Next game — ad, ad, ad, ad — lost it. At 3-all, Sanchez makes a bathroom break and takes 10 minutes. Venus thought she probably left to go eat dinner! She didn’t know what was going on. Venus is waiting out there, Sanchez comes back. I have no idea what happened. It was 6-3, 6-0 in about 20 minutes. Venus became a 14-year-old. But at the end of the day, she came to the net 33 times. I had her playing a game that was so different and people were just shocked.

That night, both Nike and Reebok came calling. Seven or eight months later after a lot of negotiations and discussions Reebok won the sweepstakes and Venus got $12 million, $2.5 million a year for five years guaranteed. On top of that, she only had to play three tournaments a year. Unreal. Can you say lottery?

 

Venus Williams, Serena Williams and Rick Macci
Venus Williams, Serena Williams and Rick Macci

Rick Macci On Evaluating Talent “It’s In The Eye Of The Beholder”

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At the second week of major tennis tournaments, there is the interesting dichotomy on the grounds between the great champions of the present and the potential champions of the future. The last contenders for the singles crowns are battling it out in the final rounds of the tournament on the show courts, while on the outer courts, the junior champions are competing for the junior title, while also looking to impress manufacturers, sponsors, coaches, media and fans.

But how hard or hard is it to watch one of these up-and-coming players and properly evaluate whether they will become a top-ranked player.

Rick Macci has been evaluating talent for most of his professional career, most notably working with the likes of future world No. 1 players Venus and Serena Williams, Maria Sharapova, Andy Roddick and Jennifer Capriati. Macci discusses evaluating talent in a chapter in his book “Macci Magic: Extracting Greatness From Yourself And Others” ($19.95, New Chapter Press, available here on amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1937559254/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_0m6Jtb0AS6VHDMF8

Part of the chapter is excerpted exclusively below:

 

Evaluating talent in my opinion is a real art. Everything in life is in the eye of the beholder, whether it is football, basketball, baseball, tennis, hockey or golf. People see what they want to see. People gain their knowledge whether it be from reading, watching television, their own life experiences and just what they’ve been used to. And that’s kind of their baseline, or their reference point, on how they come up with assertions or assumptions, or how they see things. No one in life has a crystal ball, and obviously if it’s a sport or a field you’ve done for a long time, your ball is going to be a little more crystallized than others.

It’s interesting because I’ve heard many, many people say they have a lot of talent, they’re fast, they’re going to be big, they’re strong, they have great strokes, whatever. People can’t predict stardom or predict how good someone is going to be. There are so many mitigating factors when you’re dealing with children that nobody knows what’s inside someone’s head. There are also too many speed bumps. Life throws you too many curve balls. It’s a dress rehearsal each day. Life — you don’t know what you’re going to get. So to say you can mail it in and say someone’s going to be the next Roger Federer, the next LeBron James or the next Wayne Gretzky, it is almost impossible to do that. But some have an eye, a vision, a feeling, and a gift to see the future.

The main reason why athletes improve is, No. 1 they have to have an enormous burning desire to work hard. If that’s not there, I don’t care how talented you are, some day, somewhere, somebody, it will beat you. If you don’t work hard at anything, nothing’s going to happen. You can acquire that. It doesn’t mean you have to have that at age 8 or 10 or 12. You can acquire that. It’s a long-term process but it still helps to acquire those habits at a young age. If you’re used to things being given to you, or you had the opportunity just because of finances, or someone had the knowledge to help you, that might be why you’re good at a young age. You just had a better opportunity to get better sooner.

I like to tell people it’s not where you start, it’s where you finish. It’s a long-term process. Athletes in general, when you’re looking at someone, the first thing you always want to digest is the genetic background, whether it be the mom, the dad, the grandma, the aunt, the uncle. Genetics play a big role in this. It just blows me away that people don’t understand that.

It’s interesting that two of the best women that ever played tennis live in the same household — Venus and Serena Williams. The best doubles team of all time, they’re twins (Bob and Mike Bryan). You see it all the time. A guy played in the NFL, now his son does. A guy played Major League Baseball, now his son does. Same in the NBA. You were great in track and field, and now your daughter is an Olympic swimmer. It’s amazing when you look at world-class athletes, more than likely — and I’m not saying it couldn’t happen — but the genetics play a major league role in your specific athleticism. So that’s the first thing that I look for. Period.

This doesn’t mean that’s a given. You might have gotten a certain kind of genetics that aren’t conducive to your sport. I’ve had people that their mom won the 800 meters and was seven-time world champion and her daughter has those long, slow, gliding muscles, but her ability to get in and out of the corner on the tennis court looked like she had a broken leg. Yet if I wanted her to run from here to California she’d still be running. She seemingly had two hearts, two lungs, and once she got going it was see you later! But she never got that fast twitch. Her brother, who was the No. 1 hockey player drafted in the NHL, got the fast twitch. And he could go from A to B quicker than you can say A to B.

Genetics play a big key in this thing. So in evaluating talent, that’s huge. Just because you can make 20 jump shots in a row at age 12, or you can throw a 90-mile-per-hour fast ball at age 12, or you’re No. 1 in the United States at age 12 in tennis, all it means is one thing: You’re the best in your age group at that time. Or you’re the best in that tournament. That’s all that stuff means. Period.

Now it’s better than not playing at all. It’s a nice start, but you’ve got to look through the evaluation of the result. First, I look at the genetics. How do they move? How do they stop? How do they start? How big are they going to be? Maybe instead of growing up they’re going to grow out. That could be deadly, besides not healthy. You really need to look deeper inside and kind of forecast the future on how the size and the weight is going to affect the movement part of it.

Besides the work ethic, which I said was just gigantic, there’s the attitude. Some people want to continue to grow and learn, some people want to get smarter, some people think they know it all. Believe me, the smartest people keep wanting to get smarter. The best people just want to keep getting better. That’s a mindset, that’s an attitude. You don’t know how that’s going to play out when people get older. The mind always will control the body and choices, and beliefs influence our wiring, good or bad.

We can sit here and say, “I can’t believe this one didn’t make it” or “That first-round draft choice in the NFL, how come that guy made it and this guy didn’t?  He was 6-4, he was 240, he could throw it 80 yards, he broke all the records in college but he’s a bust in the NFL.”

Well, let me tell you something. Most sports, as you go from juniors and college to pro, the speed of the game gets faster. Every athlete will tell you that. How that affects your nervous system, and how you make decisions is huge. You’ve got to be able to have a mind that can slow things down, and maybe you can never just do that. That might make you scared, make you afraid, and that could make you then hit the ball late or hold onto the ball too long or affect your balance. Or make you afraid of getting hit. You just don’t know how that’s going to impact you. When you look at evaluating talent you can’t be caught up in the moment. There are all these other factors that go into it that we just don’t know.

You could be the No. 1 junior in the world in your sport, but you just don’t know what’s going to happen.

Look at Michael Jordan. He got cut from his basketball team when he was a sophomore in high school. I’d hate to be that coach. Maybe indirectly he did M.J. a favor and that made him work harder and get rougher and rougher! At the end of the day  Jordan is the best basketball player of all time. Period. No one knew what’s inside of him. I’m sure he was pretty quick and could jump and had a decent jump shot, but at 15 years old getting cut from your team — to me that’s huge. It shows us all it is not where you start, it is where you finish. Never ever give up! Never!

 

To read the rest of this chapter – and the rest of the book – please pick up a copy of “Macci Magic: Extracting Greatness From Yourself And Others,” which is available where books are sold, including here on Amazon.com: http://m1e.net/c?150001094-X99l/7XH5chA2%4063364085-8b8oWs74ZG6qQ  The book is the entertaining and inspirational manual and memoir that helps pave the way to great achievement not only in tennis, but in business and in life. Macci, known as the coach of tennis phenoms, including five world No. 1 players – Venus and Serena Williams, Jennifer Capriati, Andy Roddick and Maria Sharapova – shares his secrets to success both on and off the tennis court through anecdotes and more than 100 of his famous “Macci-ism” sayings that exemplify his teaching philosophy and illustrate the core role and power of positive thinking in the molding of a champion.

The book was written with Jim Martz, the former Miami Herald tennis writer, author and current Florida Tennis magazine publisher. Former world No. 1 and U.S. Open champion Andy Roddick contributed the foreword to the book while another teen phenom student of Macci’s, Tommy Ho, wrote a preface to the book.

Among those endorsing the book are ESPN basketball commentator and tennis fan Dick Vitale who says of Macci, “He will share his secrets for becoming a better all-around person and tennis player and gives you all the tools you will need to assist you in THE GAME OF LIFE!”

Said Mo Vaughn, three-time Major League Baseball All-Star, former American League MVP, “Rick Macci is the best coach I’ve seen. He can coach any sport on any level in any era. That’s due to his ability to communicate directly with his athletes on a level that they clearly understand the technique and what it takes both physically and mentally to be successful. Ultimately the best thing about Rick Macci is that no matter your age, ability or goals being with him on a consistent basis will teach you life lessons that you can take with you regardless of what you do. Rick Macci can make any person better just by his coaching style. My daughter Grace is lucky to have Rick Macci in her life.”

Said Vince Carter, NBA All-Star and Olympic gold medalist of Macci, “As a professional athlete, I have been around many coaches. Rick’s dedication and commitment to turning kids into great tennis players is paramount. The confidence and technique he continues to instill in my daughter amazes me. Rick Macci’s ability to cultivate a player is a testimony of his dynamic coaching skills.”

Said popular tennis coach and personality Wayne Bryan, father of all-time great doubles team Bob & Mike Bryan, “Rick Macci has long been at the very top of the mountain as a tennis coach. Venus Williams, Serena Williams, Andy Roddick, Jenny Capriati are on his laundry list of Grand Slam champs and all-time greats that he has worked with, but he has coached so, so many other pros and Division I college players through the years. He is a coaches’ coach. He is passionate, motivational, dedicated to the game and players, super hard working from dawn to dusk and into the night when the court lights come on, very bright, knows the game inside and out, still learning, and still striving. He is engaging, fun and funny. His new book is loaded with great stuff and stories are such a great way to entertain and educate and inspire — and no one can tell a story or give a lesson better than Rick. You will enjoy this book and be a better person for having read it.”

Macci is a United States Professional Tennis Association (USPTA) Master Professional, and seven-time USPTA coach of the year. He founded he Rick Macci Tennis Academy and has been inducted into the Florida USPTA Hall of Fame. He lives in Boca Raton, Florida.

Founded in 1987, New Chapter Press (www.NewChapterMedia.com) is also the publisher of “The Education of a Tennis Player” by Rod Laver with Bud Collins, “The Greatest Tennis Matches of All-Time” by Steve Flink, “Roger Federer: Quest for Perfection” by Rene Stauffer (www.RogerFedererBook.com), “The Bud Collins History of Tennis” by Bud Collins, “The Wimbledon Final That Never Was” by Sidney Wood, “Acing Depression: A Tennis Champion’s Toughest Match” by Cliff Richey and Hilaire Richey Kallendorf, “Titanic: The Tennis Story” by Lindsay Gibbs, “Jan Kodes: A Journey To Glory From Behind The Iron Curtain” by Jan Kodes with Peter Kolar, “Tennis Made Easy” by Kelly Gunterman, “On This Day In Tennis History” by Randy Walker (www.TennisHistoryApp.com), “A Player’s Guide To USTA League Tennis” by Tony Serksnis, “A Backhanded Gift” by Marshall Jon Fisher “Boycott: Stolen Dreams of the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games” by Tom Caraccioli and Jerry Caraccioli (www.Boycott1980.com) among others.

 

 

"Macci Magic" book by Rick Macci
“Macci Magic” book by Rick Macci

How Close Maria Sharapova Was To Being A Left-Handed Player

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One of the curiosities in the tennis game of Maria Sharapova is for her, on a rare occasion, to hit shots left-handed. Where did this come from and how she hits the shot so well? Rick Macci, the renowned tennis coach – called “the coach of phenoms” by Bud Collins – provides a fascinating anecdote of how Maria Sharapova was almost a left-handed player in this excerpt in his book “Macci Magic: Extracting Greatness From Yourself And Others” (available here for sale and download: http://www.amazon.com/Macci-Magic-Extracting-Greatness-Yourself/dp/1937559254/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1395497939&sr=8-1&keywords=Macci+Magic)

 

The situation with Maria Sharapova was very interesting because of the success of Venus and Serena and how well they played right when they came on the tour. Venus with that open stance backhand set the world on fire by just playing a more athletic game and bringing a different style of play to women’s tennis.

Yuri Sharapova, Maria’s father, contacted me when he was at the IMG Academy and wanted me to take a look at his daughter, who, at the time, was 11 years old. I said, “Yeah, come on down and I’ll take a look.”

They came down and within 10 minutes I had no doubt whatsoever she was going to be a world-class player, even at 11, simply because of a few things that I could see. First off, her mom was pretty tall and her focus was amazing already! So I thought that would be a benefit to her serve. Her two-handed backhand was already timed and synchronized at 11. Technically, it looked like poetry in motion. I was really impressed with that. But believe it or not, her footwork around the ball, her little steps around the ball, was uncanny. The way she tried to get into position was really unique. I don’t see that part of it at a young age. But in general her movement was average.

Overall, I saw some good stuff, but what was out of control was her forehand. It was very flat, to say the least. It was probably one of the weaker forehands I’ve seen ever on a good player or potentially good player ever. Her swing was quite big and the elbow kept coming into the body. The racquet almost opened up, the point of contact would shift on a regular basis. It was very, very problematic. I’m talking every fifth or sixth ball, she’d make an error or the ball would fly out. She couldn’t grab the ball. Just the whole mechanics of the swing was incorrect. It was an issue, a major issue. Her dad, whom I have a lot of respect for, felt he wasn’t getting the attention at IMG Academy to the point where he’d get a hitting partner and go across the street to the high school courts. When Maria was 9 or 10, even though there was a lot of potential, she wasn’t the flavor of the month. Even though people knew she had potential and she had good looks and there could be some marketing opportunities there, he wanted more. He wanted filet mignon. He wanted in-depth technical help, and he wanted someone to really coach his daughter. He just felt she was just hitting balls.

After the first couple of times they visited — they’d come for a week at a time — we discussed in every possible detail the possibility of switching her to play left-handed. Yes, left-handed! Yuri really wanted her to switch and be a lefty player. He thought it wasn’t too late because she was 11. I have the video tape to prove it. We came to the conclusion that she was going to play left-handed. I said, “Yuri, this is a big jump. I know it could be unique, I know her serve might be a little more of an advantage,” so on and so forth. And the reason why he wanted her to play left-handed and switch was because when she swung the racquet with her left hand it was once again poetry in motion. She hit the ball better, obviously not as hard. Her contact point always was in front and there were no hitches. She was very smooth, very compact when she hit lefty forehands.

He said, “Rick, I don’t care. Let’s go for it. I only care how good she is at 18, junior tennis doesn’t mean anything. She has to get a forehand or it’s going to be a roadblock.” He was looking at the right picture because she already had good footwork around the ball and was going to be a great competitor. She was wired to compete and focus. I could see that already she had a great determined attitude to achieve. She wasn’t fast and she wasn’t too agile, but she was going to be able to hit the ball hard and pretty flat, so she could probably hide her lack of overall agility. He just knew technically if she could get better on the forehand things could be world class.

So here we are practicing, he’s sending me tape when he goes back to the IMG Academy. I’m looking at tape, analyzing it of her hitting lefty forehands. Yuri is out there coaching her in Russian with the hitting partner. It’s getting better and better. They come down for the next visit for a week, a month, and this went on for almost a year and she’s getting a lot better.

Then I tell him, “Listen, I don’t think she should play left-handed because when I feed balls to her backhand, which is now a left-handed backhand, her backhand now looked very uncomfortable. Her backhand looked problematic. She was scrunched and cramped up when she hit the ball. Her point of contact wasn’t natural. So it’s almost like we’ve got the same scenario but on the other side of the body!

But it was a little more forgiving because she had two hands and she could improvise. I told him that was more of a strength thing. So we went back and forth on this issue. He really wanted her to play left-handed to the point where he called her agent. And he thought we were 100 percent crazy, and at the time they didn’t want this to happen. And I really didn’t want to make it happen but Yuri was all in on making it happen.

I said, “We just do the best technical tweaks on this stroke. It’s never going to be probably amazing but we can fill the holes and make it somewhat of a solid stroke. I don’t think it’s ever going to be something special but I think I can get it out of the liability phase.” She just hit so many balls the wrong way. It was just bad flat out muscle memory.

When IMG knew that she might switch left-handed and that on a regular basis she was coming down to Rick Macci Academy, Yuri told them that they wanted to leave IMG Academy and do a deal with us. IMG didn’t want him to move to the RMTA academy, but still Yuri wanted to work a deal out with me where it was all based on free coaching, free hitting partner, free fitness, and the upside would have been percentages and bonuses to the point of about $1 million if she made it big. I knew she could be a great player and I saw the endorsement possibilities because she was a cute little kid. You could see she had Madison Avenue written all over her. You get anywhere near the top 10 it’s a good investment and a no brainer! Plus Maria was a great, super sweet kid. Her forehand scared me a little because I didn’t want it breaking down every fourth shot. I saw Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario get to No. 1 in the world with a very, very bad forehand. So I thought Maria with her size and strength probably could hide it easier. When IMG got wind that she might play left-handed and that she might leave IMG, within 24 hours they flew down to the RMTA. Yuri said that was more attention than she got in the last two years. Even though they were still going to represent her, it was a little disturbing because at the end of the day they probably didn’t want what was really best for Maria but was best for them. Maybe because of publicity they wanted the whole pie because they own their own academy. But Yuri wanted a slice of it with Rick Macci and RMTA.

Yuri wanted to leave. Maria wanted to leave because they had personal world-class coaching and attention to detail, and it was more of a family environment. One thing led to another, the weekend passed and everything seemed great. Yuri said, “We’re going to go back and we’re going to pack everything and we’ll be back the following week, and we’re moving her permanently and we’re going to do the deal. We’ll work all the details out with the people at IMG.”

After they left the condo they were staying at, the housekeeper found a letter from Maria that she wrote to God saying she couldn’t wait to move. She wrote that she loved it here and wanted to leave where she was and it was exciting. It was really interesting that an 11-year-old girl would write a letter like that. There was a bond that was created from start to finish and obviously a mega deal to be done. It might be five, six, seven years down the road. Other than what I saw in the Williams sisters, I knew there was a lot there tennis-wise and marketing-wise because she had the looks and would have the game! Most of all the wiring and focus was special. I could help extract even more greatness.

A week passed and I kind of felt uneasy because I knew once they went back to the other side of the fence there was going to be a full-court press in for them not to leave. The moral of the story: Yuri calls me up and says, “We can’t leave. IMG doesn’t want me to leave. If I leave I might not get wild cards in the future, I don’t want to get blackballed. They’re giving me more money to stay. They guaranteed I’d get better matches. They’re guaranteeing I’m getting better hitting partners.” It was the whole song and dance.

I just said, “No problem. Anything you need.”

He said, “They don’t want me to come here.”

I said, “Listen, I love your daughter. She’s a great, great kid. You and your wife just understand it’s a journey and a long-term process and you have the thoroughbred to make it. Here’s what I recommend… you’ve got to get technical help. If they’re not going to let you come here because I have an academy and they don’t want, for whatever reason, the publicity, even though the coaching she needs right now is technical, I would make them pay for her to have technical help on the forehand. And if you want I’ll give you the phone number.”

Which I did. I said, “There’s a guy in California named Robert Lansdorp, I would call him. He can teach your daughter how to hit the ball cleaner and he can probably connect the dots better than probably anybody in the country. He’s not going to make it perfect because I think there’s too much damage done. But 24/7, she needs a forehand.”

The moral of the story: She goes back, she stays there, whips out to California now and then, IMG picks up the tab because Robert doesn’t have an academy and she just gets technical help. IMG Academy still gets the credit. They still represent her and that’s how that whole thing played out. That’s a story that’s never really been told because I have so many stories like this, not of people who went on to become megasuper stars like Maria, who have won all four major tournament titles and finished in the Top 10 seven times, but it’s just so common because of what I’ve done. This is really the first time I’ve said anything about this situation because we’re putting it in a book. I don’t even talk about it because it’s really no big deal. But I guess it could have been a big deal.

 

“Macci Magic” is the entertaining and inspirational manual and memoir that helps pave the way to great achievement not only in tennis, but in business and in life. Macci, known as the coach of five world No. 1 players – Venus and Serena Williams, Jennifer Capriati, Andy Roddick and Maria Sharapova – shares his secrets to success both on and off the tennis court through anecdotes and more than 100 of his famous “Macci-ism” sayings that exemplify his teaching philosophy and illustrate the core role and power of positive thinking in the molding of a champion.

Maria Sharapova
Maria Sharapova

Novak Djokovic Hires Boris Becker; IMG Sale Completed; Rick Macci Releases Book – This Week In Tennis Business With Liz Kobak

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by Liz Kobak

@LizTennis

 

Djokovic Appoints Grand Slam Champion Coach

There is lots going on with Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic as of late.

The 26-year-old was named 2013 ITF World Champion for the third consecutive year shortly after announcing that former German tennis sensation Boris Becker is joining team Djokovic’s coaching team in 2014.

Six-time Grand Slam singles champion Becker is slated to travel with Djokovic’s other coaches with the World No. 2 (ordered chronologically) to the Australian Open, Dubai, Miami, Monte-Carlo, Rome, Roland Garros, Wimbledon, Cincinnati, the US Open, Shanghai, Paris and London.

“I am really excited to have the opportunity to work with Boris,” Djokovic said. “He is a true legend, someone who has great tennis knowledge and his experience will help me win new trophies from the Grand Slams and other tournaments.

Becker is equally excited to help Djokovic achieve his on-court tennis goals.

“I am proud Novak invited me to become his Head Coach. I will do my best to help him reach his goals, and I am sure we can achieve great things together,” Becker said.

Entertainment Company, PE Firm Buy IMG

Entertainment company William Morris Endeavor and PE firm Silver Lake Partners purchased for $2.3 Billion sports marketing company IMG Worldwide.

IMG – which the late Ted Forstmann previously bought for $750 Million in 2004 – represents an array of celebrities. Musicians Taylor Swift and Justin Timberlake, and athletes Peyton Manning and Joe Mauer are just some household names whom IMG manages. Also managed are tennis players Maria Sharapova, Li Na, Novak Djokovic and David Ferrer. Contrary to popular belief, the company has historically received more revenue from college football than any other sport.

Spokesmen for each company involved in this deal have declined commenting to any media queries or have not been reachable.

Indian Wells Renews Tennis Channel Deal

Indian Wells’ BNP Paribas Open tennis event renewed its Tennis Channel broadcast agreement.

Under the new deal, Tennis Channel features 97 live and 145 encore coverage hours from both ATP and WTA 2014 events, which occur March 3-16, 2014.

“In recent years Tennis Channel has steadily expanded our BNP Paribas Open coverage, both in terms of overall match hours and live conversation from our news desk on the tournament grounds,” said the channel’s tennis industry relations Senior Vice President David Egdes, the “Indian Wells is truly one of the jewels of the tennis season and the tournament has taken a leading role in on-site innovation for players, fans and media. We’re thrilled to maintain our partnership with this extraordinary event.”

Indian Wells attracted nearly 400,000 tennis fans to its grounds last year. Attendance numbers come March are expected to be similar.

BBC Names Murray Sports Personality of the Year

Great Britan’s No. 1 tennis player Andy Murray was honored on Sunday night as he was named the BBC Sports Personality of the Year in the annual awards show’s 60th edition.

Upon his US Open and Olympic successes in 2012, Murray became the first British male in 77 years to win Wimbledon’s July singles title, beating Novak Djokovic in the final in straight sets. The 26-year-old was also runner-up at the Australian Open and won the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title in Miami, where Murray often trains.

“I’d like to thank all the public who voted, for giving me so much support over the last couple of years,” Murray said. “I know sometimes I’m not the easiest person to support, but I’ve had a lot of pressure on me for a long time. I’m glad I managed to do it.”

Murray was not the only ATP World Tour star who received national recognition last weekend. On the back of a career-best season, Wawrinka finished second in the Credit Suisse Sports Awards, behind cross country skier Dario Cologna. 

Famed Tennis Coach Macci’s Book Releases

“MACCI MAGIC: Extracting Greatness From Yourself and Others,” the new inspirational book by renowned tennis coach Rick Macci, is now available for sale and download, New Chapter Press announced on Wednesday.

“MACCI MAGIC,” available where books are sold, including here on Amazon.com: http://m1e.net/c?151076253-g1prM8Ed5ZR9g%4063364085-EwF77wnba2.Gs  is the entertaining and inspirational manual and memoir that helps pave the way to great achievement not only in tennis, but in business and in life. Macci, known as the coach of tennis phenoms, including five world No. 1 players – Venus and Serena Williams, Jennifer Capriati, Andy Roddick and Maria Sharapova – shares his secrets to success both on and off the tennis court through anecdotes and more than 100 of his famous “Macci-ism” sayings that exemplify his teaching philosophy and illustrate the core role and power of positive thinking in the molding of a champion.

The book was written with Jim Martz, the former Miami Herald tennis writer, author and current Florida Tennis magazine publisher. Former world No. 1 and U.S. Open champion Andy Roddick contributed the foreword to the book while another teen phenom student of Macci’s, Tommy Ho, wrote a preface to the book.

WTA Welcomes 2015 Wimbledon Warm-up Event

The AP reported that the WTA is adding an extra grass-court tournament in Nottingham, England, to its calendar from 2015 to give players more time to gear up for Wimbledon.

The ATP and WTA tours had previously announced that the break between the French Open and Wimbledon will be increased to three weeks rather than two starting in 2015.

Nottingham joins Hertogenbosch, Birmingham and Eastbourne in the list of warm-up tournaments for Wimbledon.

Liz Kobak won the 2013 USTA National Women’s Open Singles Grass Court Championship. She is a 2010 Columbia University graduate and Northwestern University journalism master’s recipient. She is a former WTA ranked pro and #1 ranked United States junior tennis player who rates her 6-4, 6-1 win on Italian clay over Sara Errani as her best victory.

 

Boris Becker
Boris Becker

“Macci Magic” Book By Renowned Tennis Coach Rick Macci Now Available

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“MACCI MAGIC: Extracting Greatness From Yourself and Others” – the new, inspiring book by renowned tennis coach Rick Macci, is now available for sale and download, New Chapter Press has announced.

“Macci Magic,” available where books are sold, including here on Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/Macci-Magic-Extracting-Greatness-Yourself/dp/1937559254/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1387141455&sr=8-1 is the entertaining and inspirational manual and memoir that helps pave the way to great achievement not only in tennis, but in business and in life. Macci, known as the coach of tennis phenoms, including five world No. 1 players – Venus and Serena Williams, Jennifer Capriati, Andy Roddick and Maria Sharapova – shares his secrets to success both on and off the tennis court through anecdotes and more than 100 of his famous “Macci-ism” sayings that exemplify his teaching philosophy and illustrate the core role and power of positive thinking in the molding of a champion.

The book was written with Jim Martz, the former Miami Herald tennis writer, author and current Florida Tennis magazine publisher. Former world No. 1 and U.S. Open champion Andy Roddick contributed the foreword to the book while another teen phenom student of Macci’s, Tommy Ho, wrote a preface to the book.

Among those endorsing the book are ESPN basketball commentator and tennis fan Dick Vitale who says of Macci, “He will share his secrets for becoming a better all-around person and tennis player and gives you all the tools you will need to assist you in THE GAME OF LIFE!”

Said Mo Vaughn, three-time Major League Baseball All-Star, former American League MVP, “Rick Macci is the best coach I’ve seen. He can coach any sport on any level in any era. That’s due to his ability to communicate directly with his athletes on a level that they clearly understand the technique and what it takes both physically and mentally to be successful. Ultimately the best thing about Rick Macci is that no matter your age, ability or goals being with him on a consistent basis will teach you life lessons that you can take with you regardless of what you do. Rick Macci can make any person better just by his coaching style. My daughter Grace is lucky to have Rick Macci in her life.”

Said Vince Carter, NBA All-Star and Olympic gold medalist of Macci, “As a professional athlete, I have been around many coaches. Rick’s dedication and commitment to turning kids into great tennis players is paramount. The confidence and technique he continues to instill in my daughter amazes me. Rick Macci’s ability to cultivate a player is a testimony of his dynamic coaching skills.”

Said popular tennis coach and personality Wayne Bryan, father of all-time great doubles team Bob & Mike Bryan, “Rick Macci has long been at the very top of the mountain as a tennis coach. Venus Williams, Serena Williams, Andy Roddick, Jenny Capriati are on his laundry list of Grand Slam champs and all-time greats that he has worked with, but he has coached so, so many other pros and Division I college players through the years. He is a coaches’ coach. He is passionate, motivational, dedicated to the game and players, super hard working from dawn to dusk and into the night when the court lights come on, very bright, knows the game inside and out, still learning, and still striving. He is engaging, fun and funny. His new book is loaded with great stuff and stories are such a great way to entertain and educate and inspire — and no one can tell a story or give a lesson better than Rick. You will enjoy this book and be a better person for having read it.”

Macci is a United States Professional Tennis Association (USPTA) Master Professional, and seven-time USPTA coach of the year. He founded he Rick Macci Tennis Academy, and has been inducted into the Florida USPTA Hall of Fame. He lives in Boca Raton, Florida.

Founded in 1987, New Chapter Press (www.NewChapterMedia.com) is also the publisher of “The Education of a Tennis Player” by Rod Laver with Bud Collins, “The Greatest Tennis Matches of All-Time” by Steve Flink, “Roger Federer: Quest for Perfection” by Rene Stauffer (www.RogerFedererBook.com), “The Bud Collins History of Tennis” by Bud Collins, “The Wimbledon Final That Never Was” by Sidney Wood, “Acing Depression: A Tennis Champion’s Toughest Match” by Cliff Richey and Hilaire Richey Kallendorf, “Titanic: The Tennis Story” by Lindsay Gibbs, “Jan Kodes: A Journey To Glory From Behind The Iron Curtain” by Jan Kodes with Peter Kolar, “Tennis Made Easy” by Kelly Gunterman, “On This Day In Tennis History” by Randy Walker (www.TennisHistoryApp.com), “A Player’s Guide To USTA League Tennis” by Tony Serksnis, “A Backhanded Gift” by Marshall Jon Fisher “Boycott: Stolen Dreams of the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games” by Tom Caraccioli and Jerry Caraccioli (www.Boycott1980.com) among others.

 

"Macci Magic: Extracting Greatness From Yourself and Others"
“Macci Magic: Extracting Greatness From Yourself and Others”