"What Alcaraz is doing is something this sport has never seen"

Rick Macci is one of the most respected coaches on the tennis circuit. The American was key in the development and early steps of the careers of Venus and Serena Williams, and later also trained other names like Andy Roddick and Maria Sharapova. He spoke about this in a recent interview, also reiterating his praise for Carlos Alcaraz and all he is doing for tennis.

Macci is a confessed fan of the Spanish player, and in an exclusive interview with 'Tennis Papers' he stated that "Alcaraz is a generational talent. I predicted it when he was 17. If he stays injury-free, I believe he can become a historical phenomenon. The Spanish magician is heading for the top. It's something this sport has never seen before". Rick always emphasizes his magic and places him alongside other great legends of the sport who changed the game forever.

Beyond his game, Macci has also emphasized his personality and his way of experiencing the sport. "He is a great role model for all children because he has a very complete game. He enjoys competition. He's on the court smiling, dancing, and moving enthusiastically. I love watching Alcaraz because he is an incredible role model, and I hope all players watch him and that coaches strive to achieve as many accomplishments as he did as a child."

Macci, proud to have coached Venus and Serena Williams

Regarding his coaching career, obviously the most significant achievement for Macci was discovering and developing two legends of this sport like Venus and Serena Williams, whom he assisted when they were still young girls. "Of all the players I have coached, undoubtedly, the success of Venus and Serena is undeniable. When you have someone so young, at nine and ten years old, and you train them for five years, and one of them goes on to become the greatest player in history... I know what I did during all those years, day after day, gradually building something that the sport had never seen. We changed the history," he revealed.

In fact, Macci has proudly talked about his important role in the successes that would come later. "By giving Venus and Serena that opportunity —not only the positive training environment I created, with training partners, taekwondo, ballet, boxing, and my time, six days a week— it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I took these two athletes with innate talent and built a game of great power, with quick movements on the court, rapid shots, and aggression. We brought a different type of athlete to the sport."

Tommy Ho, the most dominant young player in history

Another name that Macci always has in mind is Tommy Ho, one of the greatest talents he trained. Although his professional career was not as successful as expected when he was seen in the juniors, Rick is aware of the influence he had on him, and of how important it was for that young man's future and life.

"I had the most dominant junior player in history, Tommy Ho. 15 gold medals at age 15, the youngest to win Kalamazoo at that age in the under-18 category. Tommy was not an outstanding student, he was not the best athlete, but he was mentally strong and had excellent technique. I managed to get him to think and see life from a different perspective. Even today, he says that I am the biggest influence in his life, along with his parents. So that's the greatest compliment, because, unbelievably, I am more of a life mentor than a tennis coach."

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, "Lo de Alcaraz es algo que este deporte nunca ha visto"