00:00To sit here now and reflect how long she's played, the longevity, and really the greatest female tennis player ever
00:07to 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 Capriati,
00:22funny guy.
00:24He said, you know, I have two daughters, and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, I want you to come
00:29and look at him.
00:30He goes, we live in Compton, California.
00:32I knew nothing about Compton other than what you saw on TV, riots and that stuff.
00:37He goes, Rick, Rick, Rick, I promise you won't get shot.
00:40Okay, he was the funniest guy ever, and for whatever reason, for whatever reason, it was May and summer camp
00:49was about ready to start,
00:50I said, I'm going to go to Compton and take a look at these two girls.
00:53As I said it today, I'm probably the only guy in the world that can say their best vacation ever
00:58was going to Compton, California.
01:00The guy pulls out a piece of paper.
01:02He starts grilling me like I'm in a deposition.
01:05I'm going, who is this guy, you know?
01:08But I think if he wanted someone to be involved with them, he wanted a father figure, a role model.
01:15If someone has been there, done that.
01:17We go across the basketball court, it's parts like the Red Sea.
01:20They were like little celebrities, and they haven't done anything.
01:23They're 9 and 10 years old.
01:24But I think getting that publicity in Compton for two young little girls was very, very uncomfortable.
01:30So now I'm seeing these two little kids, arms, legs, hair, beads flying off their head.
01:35I'm going, what in God's name am I doing in Compton, California?
01:40The whole landscape changed.
01:41When I said game on, they started popping the popcorn, extra butter.
01:46The preparation got better, but the burning desire.
01:50There was a rage.
01:51There was something inside these two little girls, and it blew me away.
01:56I go, let me tell you something.
01:57It was more about Venus because she was more mature.
02:00You got the next female Michael Jordan on your hand.
02:03And he puts his arm around me.
02:05He goes, no, brother, man.
02:06I got the next two.
02:08I knew both girls with the right coaching and financial help.
02:13They could be number one in the world, and they could transcend the sport.
02:19I just saw a total package, both girls different, but it had to be molded.
02:25It had to be developed, and it needed to be nurtured, and they needed the financial help.
02:30But it's what I saw on the inside, or I would have left Compton that night.
02:34When they were little, okay, Sharina was a prankster.
02:38She was still very immature, like most kids, and she would mess around.
02:42I would say, you got to run.
02:45She'd go, why?
02:45Her determination was like no other.
02:50It was like a little pit bull.
02:51When she got a hold of you, she wasn't going to let go.
02:54When she competed, it didn't matter.
02:57There was a piece of chicken on the table, or first to get in line.
03:00She had to be first.
03:02That's a great quality to have 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.
03:14To sit here now and reflect how long she's played, the longevity, and really the greatest
03:20female tennis player to grab a racket, and in my opinion, the greatest female athlete
03:25of all time.
03:25She's checked every box, and she created a few more.
03:29I think it was when she was 17, and she won her first U.S. Open and beat Hingis.
03:33It was unexpected.
03:35And you could see the look on her face.
03:38If you go back and look at that tape, it's like, oh my God, did I just win the U
03:42.S. Open?
03:43Right then and there.
03:45I knew even more so, even though I knew it, the best is yet to come.
03:49I didn't know it'd be 22 more Grand Slams that she'd be playing until age 40.
03:54But the first one is always, I think most people will say, the most special in a lot
04:00of sports.
04:02I think she wore her emotions on her sleeve.
04:05I think she said to all female athletes around the world, or young girls, you can motivate
04:13yourself.
04:14You can inspire yourself and be loud, you know, because off the court, you're this.
04:19But on the court, you're there to compete, okay?
04:23And I think she brought that element, that rage, just like I saw when she was nine years
04:28old, that Compton street fight, and she showed it on her sleeve.
04:31I think she knows it's time.
04:34You know, she probably feels, you know, she doesn't have the cat-like reflexes like before.
04:39You know, you lose a little firepower.
04:41People aren't afraid of you.
04:43I think she just loves the crowd.
04:45She's a performer.
04:46She's a showman.
04:47She loves the competition.
04:49I don't think she had it planned out how it was going to happen.
04:53It's just a feeling that you get over time.
04:55I think it's the best possible way because she's doing on her term.
05:01I think this is the perfect way for her to call game, set, match, Serena Williams.
05:05I'm going to say to you.
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