“His most famous quote is 'Thank you for getting us out of the ghetto'" - Rick Macci on Serena & Venus Williams' father's 'most consistent one-liner'

Serena and Venus Williams' former coach Rick Macci recently joked about a 'famous quote' the sisters' father, Richard Williams, supposedly says to him every time they meet.

Macci started coaching Serena and Venus in 1991, when they were nine and 10 years old, respectively. In fact, the family shifted all the way from their home in Compton, California, to West Palm Beach, Florida so that their daughters could train with Macci.

Their father, Richard, withdrew them from Macci's academy in 1995, when Serena was in ninth grade. The sisters went on to become two of the finest players in the sport, winning a combined 30 singles Grand Slam titles between them.

Serena also won 14 women's doubles Majors, all while partnering Venus. The sisters' former coach recently joked that Richard thanks him every time they meet for getting the Williams family 'out of the ghetto'.

Macci took to X (formerly Twitter) and wrote:

"Richard Williams most Consistent One Liner is even more Consistent than VW [Venus Williams] and SW [Serena Williams] Consistently Hitting the Line. Every time I meet up with the Compton Comedian his famous quote is Hey Rick thank you for Getting Us Out Of The GHETO! Love This Guy! @serenawilliams @Venuseswilliams"

Williams retired after the 2022 US Open while Venus, now 43, is still playing on the WTA Tour.

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Rick Macci knew Serena Williams and Venus Williams will become tennis superstars

In an interview with Daily Express US Sport in July 2023, Rick Macci recalled the time when he first came across Serena and Venus Williams.

Macci said that he knew the two sisters will 'seriously develop' and that Richard Williams had the 'next female Michael Jordan' on his hands. He said:

"I started to think early on - these two girls they’re going to be 6-foot and 5 feet, 6 inches tall. They’re going to seriously develop. I knew I could help to develop the technical aspects. I told Richard Williams, “You’ve got the next female Michael Jordan on your hands”, he put his arm around me and said, "No, I’ve got the next two."

The 69-year-old also went on to say that he and Richard still remain friends and joked that he should be in the Hall of Fame just for putting up with Serena and Venus' father for 'so many years'.

"They were like my own daughters, and their father Richard was my best friend. I should be in the Hall of Fame for putting up with him for so many years! He was at the academy earlier this week and is still a great friend of mine."