The rivalry between Maria Sharapova and Serena Williams is second to none. Although the American has been the better one on-court, the two have always dropped bombshells on each other off-court, wherever they got a chance.
However, it’s been stated that the two got on the same page during the final few years of their professional careers. During their playing careers, the two were trained by numerous top coaches. Nevertheless, Rick Macci has been a matching name for the two.
A great career in any sport requires proper nourishment of the athlete from a young age. Thus, Maria Sharapova’s father took her to Rick Macci’s academy when she was just six-year-old. He wanted her to get the best possible training for a bright future.
The two-time Roland Garros winner has revealed in her book “Unstoppable: My Life So Far,” an excerpt about what happened when she went to Rick Macci’s academy with her father for the first time.
What happened to Maria Sharapova and her father at Rick Macci Tennis Academy?
In her book, “Unstoppable: My Life So Far,” the former Russian tennis professional revealed that she, along with her father, who only used to speak Russian, walked into Rick Macci’s academy. Sharapova’s father, Yuri tried communicating in the reception despite a major language barrier.
“…this man who speaks only Russian walks in with his six-year-old daughter, who carries an oversized racket. He is followed by a couple from Poland, offering to translate.”
Her father also asked if he wanted to see Rick Macci but he was told that the coach was not there. Interestingly, the person they were speaking to eventually turned out to be the American tennis coach’s wife. Sharapova further revealed that money was another problem that came before them.
The academy had a $1000 fee, while Yuri Sharapova only had $700 in his pocket. Maria recalls, “…that was all the money in the world to us—in a roll in my father’s pocket.”
However, suddenly, an instructor walked towards the reception and asked her to play tennis with him. Moreover. After the little match, the attitude of the people of the receptionist and the instructor changed as they offered Sharapova and her father a place to stay for a few nights.
However, the offer made her father uneasy, and he started denying it continuously. Even when Rick Macci arrived at his academy, her father was on the same stand, saying they couldn’t be there.