With her sheer intensity and dedication on the court, Serena Williams carved out an unrivaled legacy on the women’s tour. However, the American tennis icon’s ferocity on the court has now prompted her former coach, Eric Hechtman, to draw parallels between the WTA legend and her former male counterpart, Rafael Nadal.

During the twilight of their illustrious tennis journey, Hechtman was the coach and hitting partner of both the Williams sisters. Reminiscing about his brief coaching partnership with Serena, the American coach recently brought to light a rare similarity between the former tennis ace and the Spanish ATP superstar, Rafael Nadal.

Eric Hechtman draws parallels between Serena Williams and Rafael Nadal

Venus and Serena Williams, who have clinched a combined 30 major titles, have always served as inspirational figures for the young generation of women’s players. Notably, the Williams sisters’ former coach was asked about what he thinks makes the American tennis icons ‘so special’, apart from their achievements and titles.

In an exclusive interview with EssentiallySports, Hechtman said, “Yeah, so that was a while ago. I mean, it was both of them at the same time at the Miami Open. Both very different, you know, practices were extremely different, but, you know, it’s very similar to Venus in the sense that they were both humble and just kind of, you know, relaxed a bit in practice, but intense at the same time, right?”

Hechtman also asserted that the 23-time singles Grand Slam champion had an ‘ultimate intensity’ on the court during her practice sessions. He added, “You know, there’s a sense of calm in the practice, right in peace, you know, but very intense, you know. Serena has ultimate intensity, you know, and you got all these champions and things that they have similar.”

Meanwhile, the American coach also compared Serena Williams to her former male counterpart, Rafael Nadal. He said, “Serena is similar to Rafa in that sense with, you know, the fire that she brings to that practice court, but, you know, similar but different. So I would say that.”

What do you think of the American tennis coach comparing Williams’ on-court intensity to that of Nadal? Let us know in the comments section.