At South County Regional Park in Boca Raton, Florida Tennis sat down with legendary coach Rick Macci to get an update on one of the most talked-about young players training at the Rick Macci Tennis Academy — Vlada Hranchar, a nine-year-old talent whose rapid rise has turned heads across junior tennis.
Could Hrancher be Macci’s next superstar? After all, Macci has coached five players who’ve reached No. 1 on the pro tour including Andy Roddick, Venus Williams, Serena Williams, Maria Sharapova, and Jennifer Capriati.
“She’s growing now. She’s 4’6”, about 68 pounds, a little taller and stronger than last time. But it’s really how big she is on the inside. That’s what I saw when I started this project,” explained Macci.
“Two years ago when she came here, she was a 3.3 UTR. Now she’s an 8.2 UTR in two years,” Macci said. “She’s already beaten the best players in the United States in the 12-and-under division. But that’s all icing on the cake. Winning and losing will take care of itself. All I care about is the competition every day and getting better.”
Macci first discovered Vlada through a video sent by longtime tennis writer Peter Bodo, after Vlada and her family relocated from Ukraine to the Northeast.
“I get tens of thousands of videos throughout my career,” Macci said. “Everyone says, ‘I’ve got the next this or the next that.’ So I didn’t see anything crazy in the video. I saw speed and quickness. The racket was bigger than her. She was seven years old. But when she came down to Florida and got on court, after five minutes—five minutes—I saw something inside this child that I haven’t seen since Venus and Serena.”
That moment, Macci said, wasn’t about her strokes or technique. “It was personal between her and the ball. There was a rage. When the bell rings, she goes to a different level. That was already baked in,” he explained.
After seeing her live, Macci fully committed: “If I can’t make this little girl number one in the world, I did a bad job,” he said. “That’s a big statement, but every box is checked genetically and mentally. I don’t get into projects like this unless that’s the case.”
“The strokes were all messed up, but I don’t worry about that,” he said. “That’s the easier part. I had a blank canvas. I could build elite strokes biomechanically and teach her a game that’s going to transcend six or eight years from now, because the game is changing.”
That future-focused approach is evident in Vlada’s attacking style. “She always wants to go forward,” Macci said. “I almost have to tell her to back up. That’s one of the gold nuggets a player can have—you’re already taking time away. She takes the ball early, she cuts the court, and she believes.”
Macci has also encouraged creativity—especially with variety. “She might have the best drop shot in women’s tennis one day,” he said. “She’s already hit thousands of them in competition. It’s not a bailout shot—it’s because she believes. When you believe, you achieve.”
Beyond tactics, Macci stressed balance and childhood. “She’s a little girl. She has to get straight A’s. She has to go to the water park. She has to go hang out with Mickey Mouse,” he said. “Her childhood is very important to me. I raised three daughters by myself—I understand this part.”
Macci also credits Vlada’s family for understanding the long-term vision. “I wouldn’t have gotten into this if the parents didn’t understand sports,” he said. “This is about building something bulletproof for down the road, not rushing anything.”
Macci is building a championship mindset early on. He explains, “She doesn’t go away. That’s priceless. In tennis, things flip on a dime. A lot of players compete against themselves. She doesn’t. She plays the ball, she loves the competition.”
As the conversation wrapped up, Macci made one thing clear: this is a long-term project, built patiently and intentionally.
“This isn’t about winning junior titles,” he said. “If she wins some, great. But this is open-ended. My job is to make it happen the right way.”
Remarkable dedication. Unwavering commitment. And a game being built for the future — courtesy of Rick Macci. We’ll continue to watch the story of Vlada Hranchar, a tennis prodigy with promise like few others.
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Written by Matt Pressman Video edits done by Nathalia Suarez. Photo courtesy of Maryna Hranchar.
