This week Candy Reid interviews legendary tennis coach Rick Macci in a podcast special. Headlines are...
RICK MACCI ON COACHING KIDS - ‘It’s all the other things that stick with the kids that help them become a better doctor or lawyer, or treat their kids better or you know, I help kids get better grades or get off drugs or treat people better. To me I don’t just change strokes, I change lives and that’s the best feeling in the world’.
RICK MACCI ON WORKING WITH PARENTS - ‘It’s not only about teaching kids, I teach the parents and that’s the art of coaching. Think about it, they eventually start telling me what to do, how crazy is that? But I tell people I should be in the Hall of Fame just for dealing with Richard Williams for four years! You have to have a certain personality just dealing with the cast of characters, Jim Pierce, Stefano Capriati, Richard Williams, keeping your hands around that, that’s the tough thing’.
RICK MACCI ON SERENA WILLIAMS - ‘When she was ten, Serena wasn’t that good. I had ten thousand parents look at that video and say that their kid was better then that, but they didn’t see what was under the hood. There were arms, legs and head all over the place, but when I said to play competitive points, the whole landscape changed, there was a rage. You don’t judge the book by the cover. It’s what I saw under the hood which was the wildcard and that’s why she’s going to be the greatest of all time’.
RICK MACCI ON ANDY RODDICK - ‘His thirst for competition was like no other. The guy was so competitive, the wiring to compete, which is the wildcard really to handle the pressure, his competitive thirst, he was a mosquito, he just wouldn’t leave you alone. He was never going to be a Sampras or a Chang, but I think he over-achieved and people didn’t appreciate him as much until we haven’t really had another male American Grand Slam Champion since’.
RICK MACCI ON HIS COACHING PHILOSOPHY - ‘I tell people I’ve been wrong a lot and that’s why I’m right more than most people. There’s motivational signs all over the Rick Macci tennis centre like 'Winners find a way, losers find excuses’ and that’s the power of one word, one sentence or one moment in time, that maybe can influence a child’s life. It’s not where you start, it’s where you finish and if you love what you do and you have passion, that will keep pushing you forward’.