Serena Williams’ former coach Rick Macci recalls how a young Maria Sharapova surprised him
How Maria Sharapova's unconventional training methods led to a game-changing decision that shook the tennis world
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Maria Sharapova and Rick Macci (Credits: TennisWorld)
Rick Macci, a former coach of tennis star Serena Williams and a trainer of Maria Sharapova in her younger years, recently shared a story about Sharapova’s early days in the sport. Macci occasionally commentates on tennis matches on Twitter and used the platform to recount a brief tale about how Sharapova came to play with her right hand.
In the tweet, he wrote, “When I coached Maria Sharapova at age 11 she was so amazing left-handed her dad Yuri 100% wanted her to switch from righty. We trained 1 month as a lefty. But in the end, Maria was right!“
According to Rick Macci, when Sharapova was just 11 years old, she trained under him and her father wanted her to switch to playing with her left hand. They attempted to make the change for a month, but Sharapova ultimately returned to her favored right hand.
Despite the initial attempt to switch, everything worked out well for Sharapova, who went on to create some unforgettable moments in tennis with her dominant right-hand play. She won five Grand Slam titles throughout her career, including Wimbledon in 2004 and the US Open in 2006. Sharapova also won a silver medal at the 2012 Olympics in London.
Genie Bouchard reignites long-standing feud with Maria Sharapova
Canadian tennis player Eugenie Bouchard made waves on social media after defeating Dayana Yastremska in the Madrid Open yesterday. Although she is now preparing for her upcoming match against Martina Trevisan, Bouchard took to Twitter on Thursday with a provocative tweet that caused a stir among tennis fans.
Bouchard, who famously defeated Maria Sharapova at the Madrid Open in 2017, appeared to take a jab at Yastremska, who had previously been accused of doping but cleared of any wrongdoing. Her tweet read, “There’s something about playing dopers in Madrid,” before it was deleted just two hours later.
While many fans speculated about the motive behind Bouchard’s tweet, with some wondering if she had been hacked, others welcomed her return to the trash-talking antics that have made her a polarizing figure in the sport. Despite the attention the tweet received, Bouchard remains focused on her upcoming match and hopes to continue her impressive run at the Madrid Open.
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Ujan Chakraborty
(1240 Articles Published)