Venus, Serena, Roddick & now Alycia Parks, all have 1 thing in common: Coaching legend Rick Macci recalls training American sensation as 10-year-old

Alycia Parks shares one thing in common with Serena Williams, Venus Williams and Andy Roddick and it is that they were all once coached by the legendary Rick Macci.

The Williams sisters and Roddick have been consistent throughout their careers, etching history in American tennis over and over again, and that boils down to the fact that they had their basics right. Macci played a pivotal role in all these players' success, as he enlightened them with fundamentals during their early days that improved their respective games considerably over the years.

Macci, for the uninitiated, is a seven-time USPTA National Coach of the Year and in 2010, he was inducted into the USPTA Florida Hall of Fame. Apart from the Williams sisters, Roddick and Parks, the 68-year-old also coached Maria Sharapova and Jennifer Capriati to greatness.

Parks added her name to the list of U.S. stars who have won a title this season, beating home favorite and World No. 5 Caroline Garcia in the final of the Lyon Open on Sunday to win her maiden WTA title.

Hours after her win, Macci took to social media to recollect an old video of training a 10-year-old Parks. In the video, the American coach can be seen teaching the young player some basics on body positioning while taking serve.

He proudly reflected on having guided the World No. 51, implying that she could very well join the ranks of the Williams sisters and Roddick if she keeps this up.

"10-year-old Alycia Parks learning the serve with Coach Rick Macci. Venus - Serena - Roddick & now Parks .. all have one thing in common childhood Coach Rick Macci," he said.

Alycia Parks is on the rise, having reached a career-high ranking of World No. 51 on the WTA tour after her Lyon title run. She will be keen to improve even further and achieve similar success to others coached by Macci in the past.

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Alycia Parks currently on a 15-match unbeaten run indoors

Alycia Parks at the bett1open 2022

Alycia Parks stunned top seed Caroline Garcia in the final of the 2023 Lyon Open as the American clinched her maiden WTA title. Parks claimed a 7-6(7), 7-5 win over her French opponent on Sunday after battling it out on Center Court at the Palais des Sports Gerlands for more than two hours.

Speaking at the post-match press conference, the 22-year-old expressed extreme delight at having won a WTA Tour-level championship trophy for the first time in her career.

"It feels amazing to hold my first WTA tour-level championship. Words can't explain. Just last year, I was in an ITF Challenger final and now I have won a WTA 250," she stated.

The American will next be in action at the Linz Open, where she will lock horns with Anhelina Kalinina in the first round on Tuesday. As of now, Parks is on a 15-match unbeaten run on indoor hardcourts, having won the WTA 125 Angers and WTA 125 Andorra prior to Lyon.