Tennis coach Rick Macci recently disclosed an intriguing fact about Venus Williams’ dominance over her younger sister, Serena Williams, during their practice sessions under his guidance.
Macci, who coached the Williams sisters from 1991 to 1995 at his tennis academy in West Palm Beach, Florida, revealed that despite the intense rivalry between the siblings, Venus remained undefeated against Serena in practice matches.
During their formative years at Macci’s academy, Venus and Serena honed their skills under his tutelage, with their father, Richard Williams, accompanying them.
Despite their competitive nature, Richard was initially reluctant to have them play against each other during practice sessions, believing they would face off enough times on the professional tour. However, Venus’s perfect record against Serena proved to be an interesting statistic in practice.
“[Venus Williams] never lost to Serena in practice. Vee was undefeated against the little Compton Pitbull,” Macci shared on X (formerly Twitter).
Additionally, Macci revealed that Richard’s foresight led him to oppose practice matches between the sisters, predicting their numerous encounters on the tour. Despite his reservations, the sisters eventually faced each other 31 times in official matches, with Serena holding a 19-12 advantage in their head-to-head record before her retirement in 2022.