Williams sisters’ former coach Rick Macci confirms having held talks with Emma Raducanu’s parents, puts Carlos Alcaraz’s inspiration in front of the Briton

Emma Raducanu is most likely to make a comeback soon in the 2024 Australian Open.

Williams sisters’ former coach Rick Macci confirms having held talks with Emma Raducanu’s parents, puts Carlos Alcaraz’s inspiration in front of the Briton

Emma Raducanu (L), Carlos Alcaraz (R) (Sources: WTA, Olympics)

Emma Raducanu has seen the highs and lows of tennis at a very young age. She has been the perfect case of ‘suffering from success’ as the 21-year-old got overwhelmed by the plethora of her achievements at such a young age and the added pressure and expectations caused her to mentally struggle.

Raducanu shocked the world in the US Open 2021 when she entered the tournament as a qualifier and ended up winning the tournament. Unfortunately, following that, her career has so far been crippled by injuries. 

Recently, Rick Macci, the former coach of the Williams sisters, has shown interest in working with the Briton and said she has a lot of potential. The American coach also confirmed that he has had talks with the player’s coach, parents and agent. He said Raducanu is a great player but suffers from strategic and mental aspects where he can be of the utmost help to her. 

I spoke to her agent, but he said her parents deal with coaching appointments. I’m not a travel coach, people come to me. I can help her mentally and strategically like no other. I don’t know where her head is at, whether there is the hunger and belief there to be the best.
Macci via Telegraph

Macci cited the example of Carlos Alcaraz to explain how important it is for young players to be mentally prepared in order to succeed. He continued to assert that Raducanu has not lost the talent and ability she has and is technically very good. She just needs to gain her confidence back. 

If you look at Carlos Alcaraz, everything changed for him with success at an early age, but he was ready and loaded.

The British player has been out injured since April 2023 and has undergone surgeries in both her wrists and one of her ankles. She is expected to make a comeback in the 2024 Australian Open. 

Rick Macci wants to coach Coco Gauff as well

There is no doubt about the fact that Rick Macci is a good tennis coach and he has had some great players under his belt throughout his career. He has coached players like Venus Williams, Serena Williams, Maria Sharapova, Jennifer Capriati and Andy Roddick. The American recently showed interest in adding Coco Gauff to that list as well. 

Coco Gauff
Coco Gauff (Source: Team USA)
I would love to work with Coco Gauff. I think I could rewire her entire forehand if she and her team wanted to. I’d teach her the ATP forehand. 

Gauff’s forehand has consistently been one of the weakest points in her game and many people have pointed it out. Macci strongly believes that he can help the youngster fix her forehand and thus wants to coach the 2023 US Open winner. 

In case you missed it: