"It's a quote you will never hear from another player" - Wilson manufacturer discloses unique racket request from Serena Williams

WTA legend Serena Williams is renown for her huge serve and powerful groundstrokes on the court, all of which have been accomplished using a Wilson tennis racket. After her retirement from the sport in 2022, a Wilson racket manufacturer revealed one of her racket requests which left him stunned.

The 43-year old enjoyed a distinguished career on the WTA tour that spanned over two decades, winning 23-Grand Slam singles titles in the process. Her success also translated to doubles, where she won 14 Major titles alongside sister Venus Williams. The American superstar finally hung up her racket at the 2022 US Open, calling an end to a career that saw her emerge as a trailblazer in women's sports.

In an appearance on the Served with Andy Roddick podcast, Ron Rocchi, Wilson’s Racket Innovation Manager, shared a story of how Williams would select her rackets. Rocchi worked with Williams for several years during her career, and stated he was astonished at her ability to adapt to every new racket she tried.

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