SPECIAL COOPERATION

This is the end of Serena Williams’ very good tennis career as she narrowly lost in the third round of the United States Open in three long sets to Ajla Tomljanovic. A pity, because the American had the end of the racket this match. Either way ‘the lioness’ has been surprising during the fortnight going for two big wins, including one over world No 2 Aneth Kontaveit. Admit it is way beyond expectations. In fact, this led Serena to say in her on-court interview after the match: “I should have prepared earlier in the year, because I felt like the further I went in the tournament, the better I got.” This is what his former coach Patrick Mouratoglou had suggested to him a few months ago. In addition, the French describes her in these terms: “Serena is a mixture of capricious girl and a steamy, but likable diva.”

Anyway, Serena to me would be a huge champion who didn’t fear anyone but hated losing more than anything. However, this sometimes made this extreme fight into drama. What I will remember is that his powerful and precise playing raised the level on the dance floor higher and higher. Winning the biggest trophies in three decades also proves all the determination, ambition and courage he possesses. At times, however, I felt that she was perhaps a captive of the “star system” that called for her to always go further, to push the limits of spectacle sports by wearing wacky clothes and borderline “fair play” behaviors.

In the end, she manages to start us on her adventure and share with us her immense passion. I’m happy for her too for this association with the great Anna Wintour. The photos and the article in the magazine fashion they are absolutely gorgeous and showcase a worthy and accomplished champion, proud of her heritage and good in her body. All in a good class background.

Of course, as time goes on, so does my desire to highlight his great achievements, but for me Margaret Court is the greatest of all time. The Australian has won 24 Grand Slam singles crowns and 64 overall in women’s and mixed doubles. When I think of her, I still see today at 80, a humble and strong old lady, a wall of justice that does not call evil good and good evil. At all times, both in victory and defeat, he behaves with dignity and order. I admire her a lot and consider her a balanced competitor in addition to being a good role model for society.

A few words about Rick Machi who would be the most important person in Williams’ life since he is the first coach of the two brothers. Macci says dad Richard managed to convince him to come and spend some time in Compton, California to evaluate his two rising stars. What you need to know is that the famous coach never left his academy located in Haines City south of Orlando because it was too busy and in demand. Easy to understand since he is the one who developed Jennifer Capriati who at 14 is 10th in the world. Admit it as a reference, it’s hard to do better!

Maci notices on the first day of training that he is not disciplined or intense. He decides to see if it will be the same by playing points. He quickly realizes that they will be the champions of the future. The energy completely transforms as they suddenly show such rage in their hearts to bring everything back into the game to win! That’s when Maci realized the project was worth it. He confides: “Going to Compton was the best vacation of my life! “.

What you need to know is that at that time, the coach was one of the best when it came to understanding technique and especially biomechanics, a term that was rarely used in the 70s and 80s. So thanks to his expertise it was possible to frame them to allow them to grow and excel quickly at the highest level. What makes them work, at the rate of 6 to 8 hours in the field a day.

Maci also tells some juicy anecdotes about the tricks dad Richard used to motivate his daughters. For example, he forced them to train sometimes with a broken rope to develop the will to survive. He then spread crushed glass at the back of the court to force them to stay close to the baseline to toughen them up. Unique, admit it…

I leave the final words on Serena’s career to Rick Macci because she has been forgotten for far too long and deserves the recognition she deserves. I quote him: “Serena reminds me of this 60 foot tall sculpture in South Dakota where the faces of 4 presidents of the United States are carved in stone, not least: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham. Lincoln.” This impressive monument is a symbol of United States history that is also a meeting place of contradictions. “Yes, that’s right, Serena is Mount Rushmore. »