Sonny Bill Williams at the Australian Open. (Image: Getty.)
Sonny Bill Williams is one of the greatest rugby players of all time, a successful boxer and is now turning his attention to coaching tennis at the Australian Open.
A few eyebrows were raised when the New Zealand rugby legend arrived in Melbourne on the second day of the Grand Slam, even more so when he took a seat in James McCabe’s coaching area.
The 21-year-old McCabe represented Australia and was called out by none other than Williams on several occasions during his first-round 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 win over Martin Landaluce. The home wildcard will next face Alex Michelsen, who defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas to claim his biggest win of the tournament so far.
The world number 258 reached the second round of a Grand Slam in her major debut with Williams’ coach admitting she “didn’t know too much about tennis”.
After watching his player win on Court Six, Williams described his incredible role to The Age: “We are just friends. I have known him since I was a child, and I am a good friend and family friend of his old age.
“He’s just a good young man. To be honest, I don’t know much about tennis, but whatever he needs from me, I’m here.
“I’m just supporting a young man here. I’ve known him for a long time, since I was probably 10 or 11 years old. But that’s it. It’s just a simple message.”
Sonny Bill Williams watching from the side of the court. (Image: Getty)
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McCabe benefited from a Williams pep talk in the third set after Landaluce left the court for a bathroom break, which helped keep the pressure on washing away the debutant.
“I’ve known Sonny since I was a kid. We are really close, family friends. I just wanted him to come down,” McCabe said.
“I came down last year too. He came to Adelaide. Sunny is like a brother to me. Sony is truly amazing. He has all the experience to be one of the best players to ever step on the field, especially because Sonny is Sonny. Yeah, his words of wisdom and everything are just… “I was very lucky.”
James McCabe celebrates winning the first round of the Australian Open. (Image: Getty)
The 39-year-old becomes only the second player to represent New Zealand in rugby union after representing the country in rugby league and winning two World Cups. He then became a boxer and won nine of his nine fights before losing the national title to Mark Hunt.
And Williams has a wealth of knowledge willing to share with McCabe, confirming that “of course” he will be back in round two.
“He has the complete package,” Williams added. “It’s just about being mentally strong and staying in the moment. As I said, I’m not a tennis coach, I’m just trying to be as supportive as I can.
“From a mental standpoint, you just have to stay present, engage in the fight and stay ahead of them. It’s just a simple message.
“I’ve walked that path, I’ve walked that journey, and I’m an open book for anything I can do to help, any little bit of knowledge I can gain from the path I’ve been on.
“I have never accumulated that kind of knowledge. So if I see something, I’ll tell him. He may accept it or not. “It’s a path he has to take, but he has a good team around him.”
