"If you are late, you'll never be great" - Serena Williams and Venus Williams' ex-coach Rick Macci shares how father Richard made them disciplined

Serena Williams' childhood coach Rick Macci recently took fans down memory lane as he reflected on Richard Williams' emphasis on punctuality during the early stages of Venus and Serena's careers. Macci coached the Williams sisters during their formative years, helping to shape their skills alongside their father Richard.

On Saturday, through a post on his X (formerly Twitter) account, Macci praised Richard for instilling the importance of discipline and punctuality in Venus and Serena. He noted that both sisters consistently prepared early and rarely made mistakes on court, crediting Richard for fostering these values.

“Richard was was always Early to practice. Always. We said if you are Late you will never be Great. Both VEE and Meek on court not only prepared Early but very seldom hit Late. Life lessons by the Compton Crusader,” Rick Macci wrote.

Venus and Serena Williams went on to become two of the greatest tennis players of all time, winning a combined 30 Grand Slam singles titles. Together, they also claimed 14 Grand Slam doubles titles, and three Olympic gold medals in doubles.

In addition to coaching the Williams sisters, Rick Macci also guided other tennis greats during the early stages of their careers, including Andy Roddick, Maria Sharapova, and Jennifer Capriati, among others.

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Serena Williams' former coach Rick Macci spoke about Richard Williams' unconventional training methods with Venus Williams

Venus Willams at the 2023 US Open - Day 2 - Source: Getty

On Monday, December 16, Rick Macci took to X to share an unconventional training method employed by Richard Williams during Venus Williams' early career.

He wrote that Richard would park his car by the court with music blasting. In one instance, Richard broke six beer bottles near the back fence to drive home a lesson for Venus. He instructed her to hit the ball on the rise and not back up.

“Richard would park his 57 chevy by court 7 with music full blast (Hood up) he loved the Hood and one time broke 6 beer bottles by the back fence and told Vee Hit on the Rise and Do Not Back Up my Cinderella ghetto or your mom will very upset with me tonight.”

While Serena Williams retired in 2022, Venus remains active on the tour and is the only player with seven Grand Slam singles titles still competing. Now 44, Venus has faced significant injury struggles over the past year, with her last WTA match played at the Indian Wells Open in March.