Greatness isn’t just born- it comes with hard work, perseverance, and the skillset of the potter who molds the clay. However, sometimes, even from the very beginning, there are hints of something extraordinary. A testament to this fact is the Williams sisters who didn’t just grow up to dominate the WTA- but they showed signs of their legendary potential long before they lifted their first trophies. And their childhood coach, Rick Macci, has an “unreal” memory of the same!If you think their drills were all about discipline and technique, think again. Picture this—two young girls, barely out of their cribs, fast-walking around a tennis court “with cones on their heads, a two-pound weight in hand, and a hula hoop challenge to top it all off.” Sounds ridiculous? Maybe. But for the Williams sisters, it was just another day of building greatness.On Wednesday, Macci took to Twitter to reminisce about the Williams sisters’ unique drills:Day one Vee and Serena fast walked around the court with cone on head.. 2 pound weight in right hand doing backhand volleys. Icing on the cake was the HULA HOOP! Both killed it first try. Unreal athletes from day one from the crib doing the crib!! @serenawilliams @Venuseswilliams— Rick Macci (@RickMacci) February 26, 2025Rick Macci, known as “the coach of prodigies” thanks to Bud Collins, built his reputation by working with young talents like Jennifer Capriati and, most notably, Venus and Serena Williams when they were just children. In his book, “Macci Magic: Extracting Greatness From Yourself And Others, Macci recounts his initial meeting with Richard Williams and his first on-court sessions with Venus and Serena, a scene depicted in the film “King Richard.” An excerpt from the “Venus and Serena Williams” chapter follows:“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.“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…..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.”“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.” Even as kids, Venus and Serena were built differently. Their balance, strength, and coordination were already years ahead of their peers. Although Macci’s training methods may have been unorthodox, they clearly worked—because those same young girls went on to redefine tennis as we know it today.Venus and Serena Williams have more stories to tell, and Rick Macci loves to be a proud narratorA few months ago, Macci had also shared another interesting anecdote about the sisters.From playful yet demanding drills to intense training sessions, the Williams sisters developed a work ethic that set them apart from the very start. It didn’t matter if coaches thought they were clumsy or not fit for the courts. Their relentless grit for victory saw them to the heights of strength we see today.Another time, as Macci was appearing in the ATP Tennis Radio Podcast in 2023, he revealed an interesting insight about the sisters. He said, “They both said ‘Rick, we were literally brainwashed to become No. 1’ and that maybe can work if you have the speed, the quickness and the right coaching but I never talked to either of them and we talked about this even when they were 10 and 11 and Serena was not really that good.”Although Macci has always maintained that Serena and Venus were not just talented- they were destined for greatness, Venus was undoubtedly the better player when they were younger, and more so by Serena’s own admission. However, if these anecdotes prove anything, it’s that their journey to becoming tennis legends started long before the world took notice.The post Before 30 Grand Slams, There Was Day One- Childhood Coach Recalls Training Serena & Venus Williams appeared first on EssentiallySports.