Thomas Siniecki, Media365: published on Tuesday January 6, 2026 at 10:45 p.m.
Don’t get too excited… But after all, a real beginning of mystery surrounds Rick Macci’s very direct remarks.
Will come back, come back more… and finally come back anyway? While her sister Venus will play at 45 at the Australian Open in less than two weeks, invited to Melbourne, Serena Williams denied the potential of coming out of retirement, a rumor launched by her registration on the international anti-doping lists. And here is the file relaunched by a certain Rick Macci, historic trainer of the two Williams in the early 1990s: “Everyone is wondering if Serena will play in 2026. Things could change, but I am 100% sure that the ‘Compton Comet’ will play doubles with Venus or make an appearance in singles. The greatest player of all time could soon appear on a court near you.”
Macci: “She never felt like she was losing, just like she was running out of time”
It is difficult to know what credit to give to such an assertion, from a technician who is certainly legendary but who continues to accumulate messages of the kind, also about the stars of men’s tennis, without anyone ever following him up… An indifference which did not prevent the person concerned from expressing his admiration for Father Richard Williams, last year: “What I loved above all about him, my friend (sometimes) and a determined man, is that each conversation, every day, revolved around the No. 1 spot for his girls.” Macci’s role and image were notably highlighted thanks to the film The Williams Method, released in 2021, where Will Smith plays Richard Williams.
For the one who, at over 70 years old, still runs her academy in Florida, “Serena’s greatest quality was this burning rage in the heart of a warrior, a real inferno”: “Her extraordinary competitive spirit was her cornerstone. A true pitbull, competitive and fierce, who never had the feeling of losing, but simply of running out of time.” Now, would she have a little too much?
Keep reading
