“Iga Swiatek is the most accomplished, Serena Williams is the greatest” – American’s ex-coach sees surprising distinction between duo in 21st century

July 22, 2025

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Serena Williams’ ex-coach, Rick Macci, placed the 23-time Grand Slam titlist and Iga Swiatek in the same line, as the latter was the top player in her time, and the Pole is following that path. Macci, who trained the Williams sisters from 1991 to 1994, is a seven-time USPTA National Coach of the Year.

Iga Swiatek, the first Polish player to win a major title and hold the top rank in women’s singles for 125 weeks, dominated the grass-court tournament, Wimbledon, never losing a set and toppling Amanda Anisimova in straight sets for the trophy.

Her flair received praise from global fans and enthusiasts, including tennis pundits like Rick Macci, the youngest ever to be inducted into the USPTA Hall of Fame in 2017. The latter, who trained the legendary sisters, Venus and Serena Williams, in his eponymous academy from 1991 to 1994, stated that Swiatek is the greatest in the 21st century, like Serena Williams was in the 2000s.

"Iga is the most accomplished player in the 21st century. Serena is the greatest player since the start of 2000. Both special champions on and off the court. Both cut from the same championship cloth."

Swiatek added her first Wimbledon title to an already decorated repertoire that includes four French Open wins and one US Open title. She also recorded the longest win streak of the 21st century in 2022 when she clocked 37 straight wins.

Serena Williams' ex-coach, Rick Macci, stated that Iga Swiatek would soon rank above Coco Gauff and Aryna Sabalenka

Iga Swiatek at the Championships - Wimbledon 2025 - (Source: Getty)

Swiatek boasts more Grand Slam titles than Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff and even won an Olympic medal at the 2024 Games. Despite that, the Pole hasn't been consistent with the major wins since her last victory at the 2024 Roland Garros. She dropped to No. 8 this year and revived herself in the ranking table only with her SW19 win.

Following that, Serena Williams' ex-coach Rick Macci praised the 24-year-old's form and called her the 'Pole Punisher', as she can soon catapult herself to No.1.

"It will happen sooner than later as Iga will again be number one on the planet because her mind is made of granite," he wrote. "Not a lot of points to defend and the Polish Punisher will be number one by years end."

Iga Swiatek has won 23 WTA Tour-level singles and ten WTA 1000 titles in her career.

About the author

Agnijeeta is a US Olympics journalist at Sportskeeda. She holds a Master’s degree in English and has worked as a school teacher, a blogger, a content writer and a sports writer over the past 5 years. A lover of high-adrenaline track and field events, she was also a sprinter during her school days.

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone happens to be her favorite Olympian, and the athlete’s feat of breaking four records within 13 months inspires her, apart from the American's body language on and off the track. Grant Hackett swimming with a partially dysfunctional lung and winning gold in Athens is her all-time favorite Olympic moment.

Agnijeeta believes that deriving of unique angles from podcasts and interviews carried out by Olympics.com, along with hype-building of potential Olympic events on social media can help fill the coverage gap during the off season.

When not at her work desk, Agnijeeta likes to sing and paint. She also plays string instruments like guitar and ukulele and is an avid player of word puzzles.

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