Rick Macci: Serena Williams Is ‘In It To Win’ At Wimbledon 2026, Not To Silence Critics

Rick Macci has coached enough champions to know the difference between a farewell and a tilt. His reading of Serena Williams at Wimbledon 2026 is the second one. She is in the draw to win it, he said, and the critics are beside the point.

The tennis will decide whether that is possible. What Macci was pushing back on is the idea that the return is a lap of honour with a seeding attached. Williams has never played the Championships that way, and the people who have watched her practise this month do not describe a player managing minutes.

Wimbledon has ended her seasons before. It has also been the place she has looked most certain. Macci is betting on the second memory.