00:00I sit here now and reflect how long she's played, the longevity, and really the greatest female tennis player
00:07ever to grab a racket, and in my opinion, the greatest female athlete of all time.
00:16I get a call in 1991, a guy I know, Richard Williams, he heard of me because I coach Cap
00:21riati, funny guy, he said, you know, I have two daughters, and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.
00:29I want you to come and look at him, he goes, we live in Compton, California, I knew nothing
00:33about Compton, other than what you saw on TV, riots, and that stuff, he goes, Rick, Rick, Rick, I
00:38promise you won't get shot, okay, he was the funniest guy ever, and for whatever reason, for whatever reason,
00:47I just, it was May, and summer camp was about ready to start, I said, I'm going to go
00:51to Compton and take a look at these two girls, as I sit here today, I'm probably the
00:56only guy in the world that can say their best vacation ever was going
00:59to Compton, California, the guy pulls out a piece of paper, he starts grilling me like I'm in
01:04a deposition, I'm going, who is this guy, you know, but I think if he wanted
01:10someone to be involved with them, he wanted a father figure, a role model, if someone has been there, done
01:16that, we go across the basketball court, it's parts like the Red Sea, they were like little celebrities, and
01:22they haven't done anything,
01:23they're nine and ten years old, but I think getting that publicity in Compton for two young little
01:28girls was very, very uncomfortable, so now I'm seeing these two little kids, arms, legs, hair, beads flying off
01:35their head, I'm going, what in God's name am I doing in Compton, California, the whole landscape
01:41changed, when I said game one, they started popping the popcorn, extra butter,
01:46the preparation got better, but the burning desire, there was a rage, there was something inside these two little girls,
01:54and it blew me away, I go, let me tell you something, it was more
01:57about Venus, because she was more mature, you got the next female Michael Jordan on your hand, and he puts
02:04his arm around me, he goes, no brother man, I got the next two, I knew both girls, with the
02:10right
02:11coaching, by coaching, and financial help, they could be number one in the world, and they could transcend the sport,
02:19I just saw a total package, both girls
02:23different, that could, but it had to be molded, you know, it had to be developed, and it needed
02:28to be nurtured, and they needed the financial help, but it's what I saw on the inside, or
02:33I would have left Compton
02:34that night, when they were little, okay, Sharina was a prankster, she was still very immature, like most
02:40kids, and she would mess around, I would say, you got to run, she'd go, why, her determination
02:48was like no other, it was like a little pit bull, when she got a hold of you, she wasn
02:53't going to let go, when she competed, it didn't matter, there was a piece of chicken
02:58on the table, or first to get in line, she had to be first, that's a great quality, to
03:05have in your pocket, along with speed, quickness, strength, eventually
03:10the best serve ever in women's tennis, and the ability just to play through you, to sit here now,
03:15and reflect how long she's played, the longevity, and
03:19really the greatest female tennis player to grab a racket, and in my opinion, the greatest female athlete of all
03:25time, she's checked every box, and
03:27she created a few more, I think it was when she was 17, and she won her first US Open,
03:32and beat Hingis, it was unexpected, and
03:35you could see the look on her face, if you go back and look at that tape, it's like,
03:41oh my god, did I just win the US Open, right then and
03:44there, I knew even more so, even though I knew it, the best is yet to come, I didn't
03:50know it'd be 22 more Grand Slams, and she'd be
03:52playing until age 40, but the first one, is always, I think most people will say, the most special, in
04:00a lot of, in a lot of sports.
04:02I think she wore her emotions on her sleeve, I think she said, to all female athletes around the world,
04:09or young girls, you can, you can
04:13motivate yourself, you can inspire yourself, and be loud, you know, because off the court, you're this, but on
04:20the court, you're there to
04:21compete, okay, and I think she brought that element, that rage, just like I saw when she was nine years
04:28old, that Compton Street
04:29fight, and she showed it on her sleeve, I think she knows, it's time, you know, she probably feels,
04:36you know, she doesn't have the
04:37cat-like reflexes, like before, you know, you lose a little firepower, people aren't afraid of
04:42you, I think she just loves
04:44the crowd, she's a performer, she's a showman, she loves the competition, I don't think she
04:50had it planned out how it was
04:52going to happen, it's just a feeling that you get over time, I think it's the best possible
04:57way, because she's doing on
05:00her term, I think this is the perfect way for her to call game, set, match, Serena Williams.
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