"The dynamic duo changed history" - Serena Williams' childhood coach Rock Macci fondly recalls working with American's father Richard

Serena Williams' former coach, Rick Macci, paid tribute to Richard Williams, the father and coach of the famed Williams sisters.

The Oscar-winning biopic "King Richard" (2021) chronicled the life of Serena Williams' father, Richard, who was played by Will Smith. The African-American actor won an Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance. Meanwhile, Macci was played by Jon Bernthal.

Rick Macci was proud of his past work with Richard Williams, going by his social media post. Earlier on Saturday (Nov. 25), he posed with the 81-year-old on a tennis court for photos while one of his associates filmed the duo from afar.

In his caption, he referred to Serena Williams' father by the title of the film, writing:

"King Richard and Rick teamed up and it was a mystery, the dynamic duo changed history!!!"

Will Smith was recognized for his role as Richard Williams by the Academy Awards, the BAFTA Awards, the Golden Globe Awards, the Screen Actors Guild Awards and the Critics' Choice Awards. He also served as one of the producers of the film.

Notably, Serena and Venus Williams also financed the film as executive producers. The 23-time Major winner hailed Smith's acting in the biographical film, going as far as to call it "just surreal."

"No word describes it better than just surreal. Just to see these incredible actresses and everyone behind it just putting this all together about our dad's journey, but because of myself and my sister, it really is like, 'Wow, really, OK, are we really something?'" Williams said to Digital Spy in 2021.

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Serena Williams has been enjoying her life away from tennis

The 23-time Major winner poses with her husband Alexis Ohanian

At the time of her retirement in 2022, Serena Williams had insisted that she was looking forward to focusing on her hobbies.

Since then, she has been busy with her independent clothing line, "S by Serena", and her new venture capital firm, "Serena Ventures." The 42-year-old's personal life is also in full bloom, as she gave birth to her second daughter, Adira River, in August.

She also received the 'Fashion Icon' award at the 2023 CFDA Fashion Awards in New York earlier this month.

The 23-time Major winner retired from professional tennis at last year's US Open. Her illustrious career's final match came against Australia's Ajla Tomljanovic, who beat her 7-5, 6-7 (4), 6-1 in the third round of the New York Slam.