What Serena Williams used to ask Wilson to do with her rackets which no player has ever requested again

Posted by Admin October 31, 2024 Tennis

Wilson has had some of the greatest tennis players of all time use their rackets and that includes Serena Williams.

Throughout her illustrious 27-year career, the 43-year-old used the iconic racket manufacturer, and achieved some great results while using their rackets.

The American earned 23 Grand Slam singles titles while using Wilson, in addition to 14 major doubles titles alongside sister Venus Williams.

Now, two years after she retired from tennis, a Wilson racket manufacturer disclosed something Serena Williams said that left him stunned.

What promise did Serena Williams make to her Wilson racket expert?

Williams’ greatest strength on a tennis court was her power and aggression, which overwhelmed many of her opponents.

Her ruthless performances all came with a Wilson racket, and she was very specific with which racket she wanted to use at a particular time.

Ron Rocchi, Wilson’s Racket Innovation Manager, who worked with Williams, appeared on Andy Roddick’s ‘Served’ podcast to share the story of a vow the former World number made when deciding which racket to use.

Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images

“This came from her. She told me pretty early on, and I will never forget this because it’s a quote you will never hear from a player,” he said.

“She said to me if you give me a racket with all the power in the world I will learn to control it. It floored me because I had never heard that before. It was true because I would walk her up the power scale and she as an athlete could adapt.

“Looking at how she played the game that power was such an integral part of how she played, her power had to be big, she had to start with that big power game.”

Wilson racket expert further describes what it was like to work with Serena Williams

Williams had exceptional power, but her consistency coupled with her power is what made the American such a dangerous player.

This was illustrated during Rocchi’s time on Roddick’s ‘Served’ podcast, when he described how well she played when trying out a new racket.

“I did put a traditional, really thin beamed, low power racket in her hand and in about seven minutes she adapted to it,” he said.

“She didn’t miss a ball for about half hour but she hated it. She was like I can’t hit that opening before my opponent gets there, it’s just the ball isn’t going. I was like yeah but you didn’t miss a ball for 30 minutes. She was like it’s not the one for me.”