Transcript
Use with ChatGPT / Claude Auto-scroll A
The video introduces the challenge of facing Serena Williams and frames the goal as winning even a single point. It establishes Serena's legendary status and Speed's ambitious mission.
If I can return one ball of Serena's, that's a W in my odds.
Oh my god!
Tennis, a pursuit that in the annals of history has been referred to as the sport of kings.A rigorous physical and mental challenge that demands endurance, explosiveness, and excellence.No one has embodied these three traits better than arguably the greatest tennis player of all time, Serena Williams.She has 23 Grand Slam singles titles, 73 career singles titles, and four Olympic gold medals.319 weeks ranked as the number one player in the world.The term GOAT was coined for Serena, but our fearless warrior shies away from no challenge.Can he use his natural athleticism, unrelenting spirit,
Let's go!
and fiery competitiveness to win a single point against the living legend or just not completely embarrass himself?
was 122.
Can he prove to Serena that he has what it takes to go pro?
This is Speegs Pro, presented by Dick's.
Speed meets his coach Jamir and begins learning the basics of tennis from scratch, including forehands, backhands, movement, volleys, overheads, and serves. The day ends with recovery and a reflection on how much work is still needed.
Ah, let's go.
What's going on, Speed?
What's going on?
Nice to meet you, man.
to meet you.
Jamir Jenkins, former NCAA National Player of the Year, eight Futures tournament champion, the man who became Serena Williams' trusted hitting partner.Now it's his job to get Speed ready.
Kind of nervous about this one.
Really?Why so?
I never played tennis a day in my life.
Really?
Never.I never picked up a racket.
And you say you want to battle Serena Williams?
Straight to the top.
I love it, man.Let's do
Let's take a couple of laps.Let's get ready.
Speed's mission, to stand across the net from Serena Williams herself and do what few in the world can, but turn one of her serves.Serves that explode off her racket at average speeds well over 100 miles an hour.He will also be tested on his accuracy, velocity, and ultimately face Serena in match play.
Yeah, bro.I got a feeling this is about to be very It's It's It's hot as hell.
Yeah, it's hot.
The hit Y'all see this?It's a hole hole and it's going throughout the other hole.
That work?
No, it It goes off the different It goes off that hole.
I think you suck it.
Oh, you suck it?Oh.
This is Speed's first time holding a rack.The goal isn't to look pretty.It's survival.Learn the form, find the swing, make contact.Anything else comes later.
And you're literally just going to start, drop, and hit.
I got a lot of work.That's why today me and Jameer, we about to be really lapping.We about to be practicing.I'll be ready for tomorrow.I tell you that.I'm always ready.
It's on your shoulders.That's the first thing you're going to do.
So like this?
Yeah.And then keep the left hand on the racket.
Like that?
Perfect.
I want strings pointed down.Much better.
Too stiff, I feel like.I feel like I'm so used to sports that's like uh uh uh uh
You're using too much arm.I want you to use a little bit more wrist.
And this is like uh
Here we go.
uh I'm trying to get through a motion.I'm trying to get my body used to that movement.uh uh uh
You going to turn with the hand.The hand's there.
It doesn't matter how strong I am.It doesn't matter how fast I It doesn't matter how high I can jump.If I can't use my racket and get the ball over to the other side of the net, that's all useless.
Then we got some work to do.Tennis is one of those sports that just takes time to get the technique down.It takes time to get comfortable.Uh I'm This is no judgment zone, but we are we're going to keep working.You still need the C.Like you still need start here and there.
So the C is basically Say Say this is a forehand and the ball is coming.You place your racket in this position that as it comes, you literally form a C.
There we go.When you start with the backhand, this this motion here, this is all the power.Start off here, strings pointing that way.And then go go go go.You're like pushing.Think about you're pushing out and then left elbow goes towards that fence.And then s- same concept.Get low.Make sure you're get underneath the ball.Good job, man.Nice.That catch is money.So now I'm just going to move you in the line.So we're going to here, going back.I just want you to get used to moving and hitting.
Yeah.
Ready?Get the ball you want.There we go.Get it where you want it.There we go.Great job.Going to do some forehands.One, two.Back.One, two.Take your time.
Good job.
The ball machine.No more dropping balls at his feet.Now they're coming at him fast, relentless.
Um right now the ball is bouncing and you're still taking this racket back.When that ball bounces, I want you prepared already.Here we go.Get your feet in place.Create the space with your feet.Here we go.Create the space with your feet.All right, stop.
See, the problem with me, there's too many cues going on in my head right now.
Catch, drop, hit.Got to be pretty fast.That ball's coming.Top hit.Good job.
It doesn' feel natural for me.It's a lot of technique.It takes time to just for your body to naturally get in that motion.My body is just not used to that motion and I'm having difficulty.
Ball bounces wide.You make contact too.
This is my tennis life in a nutshell.
To get speed ready for Serena, Jamir is compressing years of training into hours and that is going to take lots of repetition.
Take it back now.There we go.Take it back now, right now.Much better.That was clean.That had to feel good.Here we go.One more.Good job, speed.Something clicked there.I mean, that was much more consistent.
I kept it simple.I got in position.Got the ball to the other side.We going to be all right.Just trust me.Right now I'm just taking in everything.I'm learning.You know, I'm just like okay, okay, okay, getting used to the motion just so I can be prepared for tomorrow.That's it.
All right, just nice and simple.Don't even hit it hard.Yep, that's all it is.Pretty simple, right?There we go.You got this.
I don't You see that?
Yeah.
Bro, that went straight through my net.
So
Bro, it went straight through it.I don't know if I'm having déjà vu, but the ball is like literally going through my racket.
Sorry.
It's not?
It's hitting the frame and getting bouncing off.
Dude.
What's déjà vu?
Déjà vu is like when you see something but you think you saw it, but you don't know if you really saw it or not.Like oh, like I could have sworn I just seen a man fly, but it was just a bird.That's déjà vu.
One of the most fun shots in tennis.Use your left hand to keep the in front of you.
That got that one got a little bit behind you.Here we go.All right, you want to add the jump?
Yeah.
Nice.Damn, that was athletic as hell.
Oh, that felt so good.Smash.
So same thing on the overhead.Toss the ball to get into that position, right into the ready position.
This is all about the toss.Your toss is in the right spot to get to a ready top.So for now, you don't have to jump.I want you to get used to going down into the box.There we go.You got to get this up right away.I want you to just connect on one tomorrow where you just make her feel it.Nice feet.
This is all about motion.
Nice.
I can place the ball in the box every time if I don't put power into it.
So you put the jump in it.You're starting to feel more comfortable?Unload.Don't be afraid to hit it.Nice.That was money.
Serving.What are the odds of me returning Serena Williams's serve?
I think she's going to take it easier.I don't see her going like 100% at you.
I want to go full speed.
All right.Well, you want to you want to practice some of that?
I would love to practice one of that.
Serena unleashes serves at 125 mph.Jameer will dial it back, way back.
Hey, listen.If I can return one ball of Serena's, I feel like that's a that 's a W in my eyes.
That's really my goal.I mean, obviously like I do want to beat her, but I really want to return the ball from her.
Speed, try and stand a little bit closer.Literally just there, there.Super simple like the volleys.
Don't try and add power to it.Just focus on making a clean contact.
That was out.
That was in, Speed.
No, that was out.Guys, I'm literally right here.
Oh, put some slice on it, Speed.Whatever the hell you want on it.
Some serves is just like yo, cuz like there's a serve that it lands but then it goes outside.I don't know what's that called.That one's very hard, but then I'm kind of getting like my feet was getting used to just just like getting set for it.It was kind of weird, but I started to get the hang of like the serves.
Last one, yeah.Here we go, last one.Got to end on A GOOD ONE.
WOO!
THE SERVES WAS SERVING.YOU KNOW, FOR someone who hasn't picked up a racket, this is a sport where you need 10,000 hours just to feel good.He got the technique down fairly.You know, I don't think it's in the realm of where we want for Serena, um but we made some progress today.Last thing though, got to recover.Got to take care of the body.You take care of the body, body will take care of you.
That is right.
Let's go.
Let's go, man.
How do you think Serena is going to respond to his skill level?
Serena's going to destroy him.
The first day is done.Now comes the recovery.Muscles screaming, hands blistered, Speed needs rest.He's got very little time left.
Speed is sent to a boxing gym to train explosive movement, reaction, and kinetic chain mechanics that translate to tennis. The coaches connect boxing footwork and body rotation to tennis performance before sending him to face Serena.
For the next part of Speed's training, Jameer has sent him to a secret location.Speed has no idea where he is or what's about to happen.
This is place.
Boxing.
Speed, what's up, my man?
What's up?
How are you, brother?
What's going on?
This is Elite Boxing where trainers Dave Lutter and Will Nester will teach Speed how he can edge his tennis game up even more.
We're here to play some tennis.
Tennis?This is boxing.
It's a boxing gym for sure, but there's a ton of similarities between boxing and tennis.So much so that we're going to help you train as a boxer to beat Serena, or at least we think so.
All right.
I hope you're ready.
Yeah, let's do it.
Let's do it, bro.
Let's do it.
Speed is attempting the impossible, so conventional training just isn't enough.
You've got to prepare your body both in boxing and in tennis to focus and to react with explosive movement.In boxing, we call that the bounce step.In tennis, we call it the split step.It's a quick movement.Bounce and then explode.Ready position.Here we go.Let's see that split step.Red.All the way back.All the way back.Yo.Love it, man.
To be honest, I'm like, what the hell am I doing here?
Think about swinging a racket.It's all a very similar movement.Follow.Some bang.Bang.Hands up.
But it's kind of making sense.
One, two.You throw a punch.Your hip.When you throw a forward hand, what do you do?Turn your hip.Boxing foundation is the same as tennis foundation.
Holy guacamole.Now it's about responding.The way we're going to demonstrate this is a concept that's common to both boxing and tennis called the kinetic chain.In simple terms, the kinetic chain just means the sequence with which energy moves through your body to a racket using that energy to generate force, to generate power, to generate speed.All right?
One more.
Your movement's good, Na.
Yeah, Na.It's what's going to win you this match.
See, in tennis, it all starts in your lower half of your body, your base, generating power.Yeah, you see that forehand?I'm ready.I'm I've done everything.What else do I need to do?
Let's go.
Man.Imagine I do all of this and she still manages to just wipe me?I'll be embarrassed.
Yeah.
Man, tennis is wicked, man.I'm going to be honest.Like, this is hard.
Oh, Speed is a generational athlete.
Everybody has their weaknesses.Listen, man.We don't follow regular logic.I follow the Speed logic.So we going to go on the court and play some tennis.One, two.One, two.One, two.Now me and Serena about to go at it.
Serena evaluates Speed through a series of drills, including serve accuracy, serve speed, shot accuracy, and serve return. Speed struggles in most tests but eventually returns one of Serena's serves, celebrating a major personal win.
Let's go.
Well, well, well, I heard you've been training.
Serena Williams, just a reminder, she has 23 Grand Slam singles titles, the most of any player, male or female in the open era.To even fantasize about having a chance against her would make one crazy.
I've been doing a little training.
nice to meet you.
Yeah, nice to meet you.
But crazy is Speed's middle name.Actually, it's Jason, but you get the idea.
You ready?
I've been ready.You ready?
I'm ready.Let's go.
Before the real competition begins, Serena will look at Speed's basic skills to get a sense of his progress because a real champion always studies their opponent.
You see that, Serena?So my first impression of Speed's for him was that honestly it wasn't terrible.Try to keep your eye on the ball the whole time.
Then went to backhands and the backhand was a little bit worse than the forehand.Oh, okay.Do you want to do some more or are you feeling good?Yeah, I want to do some more.
Don't forget to step.There you go.Step.There you go.I thought volleying would be a stink.You're decent at volleying.
Yay!
Woo!
Good job.Overhead smash.
I love it.I love the height.It's so cute.
Look at it.It's like my kid when she jumps to try to get something.He's so cute.It's so aw.Like he looked like he felt like he was on a basketball court and I love seeing like the athleticism of him and just getting up and his legs were like open and he's like jumping this high.I thought that was cool.The smash could have used a little work.
Serena's seen the progress.Now it's time to measure it.Five drills stand between speed and validation.Serve accuracy, serve velocity, shot accuracy, serve return, and finally, match play.The training wheels are off.This is the moment of truth.First up, serve accuracy.Speed will have 10 serves to impress Serena.
I want to see seven out of 10 over the net.It doesn't have to be in.
Seven out of 10 over the net.
Over the net.
Okay.Okay.I'm nervous.Oh.Oh.
It was in.
That was in.That was in.Let's go.One.
Yes, that was in.
Yes.
That's two.I told you you could do it.I told you.
Th- It went over.That counts.That's three.Oh, you lost racket speed on that.Don't lose your confidence.You're doing good.That's four.Okay, that's five.Good job.
camera's in the way, man.
The camera's not in the way, but okay.Okay.Good job.That was a good toss.I'M SURPRISED IT DIDN'T GO OVER.
I WAS PLAYING the serves too easy.
You are strong.Let me see Look at these Look at these arms.
All right.I was playing a save.I was playing a save.
patting the ball?
I wasn't putting no power in.I was just doing placement over power.
Let me show me some speed.There you go.That's what I'm talking about.
That's 10?
First test, failed.Next, serve velocity.So far, speed is maxed out at 54 mph.He's going to have to ramp that up to impress Serena.Can you get to 75, maybe 80?
Okay, more speed.
More speed, deal?
Got you.Hey, that's
Let's see it.
That was not going to be fast as it was a bad toss.
Okay.
But it was still 65, so that's good.Good timing.
That was a good toss.76.Let's go.THAT'S SPEED RIGHT THERE.THAT'S SPEED.YES.That's what I'm talking about.Let me SEE WHAT I HAVE UNDER my sleeve.
Okay.
Before they move on to the next round, Serena wanted to see how fast she could get without warming up.
What is that?
One away.One away.
And believe me, that's not fast.
Why did she have to do that right after I did that?
So you could know that um your speed, but I'm Serena.
That was very My confidence just went lower.I put my all into that serve.I I don't know why she did that right after me, but pros tend to do that.Like I like I think I do a good move then right after they just Yeah, I do that on daily, so but it was still cool to see IRO.
Shot accuracy.45 seconds to knock over as many cones as possible.The player who hits the most cones wins.
All right, Jameer, 45 seconds on the clock.All right, you ready?
Let's do it.
Remember to look at the ball and turn.
What he's not fast enough?You get the idea.He's not hitting a cone in 45 minutes, let alone 45 seconds.
Serena.
You telling me one ball didn't touch one of them cones?
They did go near the cones.The accuracy drill was really nice.It was really fun.Um speed hit zero.Yeah.All right, let me see if I can hit one this time.I told you target is not easy.
45 seconds.
If I don't hit this spot, I'm going to be like embarrassed.
Ain't no cones are super hard.
Oh my gosh, are you kidding me?There we go.Finally.
You see the thing about Serena, she just had precision in every shot.
There we go.
They like even took Serena like a few tries to get a cone.
3 2
Does that count?
1
I was just like, yeah, she's clearly way better than me.
Serve return.Speed's most important goal.Return just one of Serena's serves.
Well, I'm yeah, I'm
You ready for this?
I'm ready.
Just get it in the stratosphere.
Out.
Um I'm going to say THAT WAS IN.
OH, THAT WAS 122.
OH MY GOD.
Come on.
Damn it, man.
I had higher hopes for me returning her serve.Like I was coming into this this pitch.We're going to call it a pitch, a a tennis pitch.I came into this tennis pitch knowingly like I got to return one of her serves.
And I stood there.What was going through my head was the training that I did for boxing yesterday.
The kinetic chain just means the sequence with which energy moves through your body.The split step.Bounce and then explode.
OH MY GOD.OH OH YES.YES.OH MY GOD.OH MY OH MY GOD.OH MY GOD.I DID IT.I I RETURNED one of Serena's serves, baby.I remembered to keep my feet ready, my quick first step.Soon as I saw the ball, I used the kinetic energy from the ground.Boxing training paid off, which is crazy.I would have thought I would have never say that about boxing training paid off for tennis.Oh my god.I did it.Oh my god.I been I been
And this is the reaction whenever someone beats me.When I was serving the speed, I just felt bad, so I started to let up a little bit.And then he hit the ball, which I honestly I was proud of, but then the reaction was a little bit over the top.There was one girl that reacted like that against me once and she never beat me again.
Yes.
It's so old.
I'm no longer taking it easy on him.
I probably should never celebrate again.
to say I think you pissed her off now.
Speed plays a short match starting with a handicap and manages to stay competitive before Serena closes it out. The episode ends with Serena's honest verdict, playful banter, and a final joke about one more point.
Match play.We're all facets of speed's training combined for a live game.Seven points wins, and you must win by two.
Okay, but here's the kicker.You will start with six points.
Okay.
Let's play fair.Let's play first to seven, all right?
First to seven.
First to seven, let's go.
I need is to get one point.All I need is to get one point.Sometimes in life all it takes is one.You ready?
I'm born ready.
Usually there's a time limit, too.
When I heard that she was going to give me six points, my eyes lit up.So then I was like, okay, now I just got to win.I got to somehow win.
All right.Good job.
YAY.
OH MY.ALL RIGHT, SIX ONE.
Six two.
All right, six three.
Six four.
Six five.That was it?We over?We don't got VAR?
Six five Speed.
raring back here at six five.Speed doing his best to stay in there.Looks a little disheveled, looks a little angry, dejected.Wouldn't be surprised.
No, that would have been a good serve.Second serve for Speed.
Oh, good job.
Six all.Good form.
All right, seven six.
All right Speed.
Game point, championship point.What a comeback.
Come on Speed, you got this.
They say a true champion shows himself in the most daunting circumstances.When all the odds are stacked against him, a hero is born.Oh, come on.
Game, set, match, championship.And the crowd goes wild.
I saw I gave Speed the six points to start out with, and I have to be honest with you, I was definitely not even a tad bit worried.In fact, I was more bored, but he's so cute.Excuse me, you have to shake my hand.
Oh, I have to shake your hand?
you have to shake the hand.You did good, though.You got six points, so that's not bad.That is not bad at all.You got six points.
Great game.
Good job.
At least I returned one of her serves, you know.Now look, Serena, I know it's I I I really don't want to act this right now.
Uh-huh.
It's like after everything what happened today, but do I have what it takes
Mhm.
to go pro in tennis?
Oh, you know what?You absolutely do not have what it takes to go pro in tennis, but
Oh, just right there.
be a person that follows someone on tour.You Like you could be maybe a trainer, uh a motivator.You could be on someone's team.If I were on tour, you could be on my team.
We would have a lot of fun.
We might need a rematch one day.
We would have a lot of fun.
Nah, it was fun.
It's fun.
Tennis is fun.In all seriousness, it is a hard sport.I kind of underestimated.I thought I could get good in two days.
Everyone does.
no.Takes a bit more time to get good at this sport, so
What you did good I'm telling you, you did good.For two days, you did really good.
Thank you.Appreciate that.
should be proud of yourself.Sweaty hugs.
Sweaty hugs.Trust me, I will see a rematch between me and Serena one day.Just give me like a year.One year.
Thank you.So fun.
Thank you.Well, don't you think my backhand was pretty good, though?
First of all, that's your forehand, and uh no.He's not going to be a professional tennis player.Speed is, but he does have a fantastic career.Uh he is Speed, and but tennis, he's never going to be able to play against Carlos Alcaraz or Sinner or anybody in the men's tour, and definitely not on the women's tour.
Well, my
forehand was pretty good.
Um, no.
And my smash?
Honestly, no.Just just no.No.And for whatever you say next, probably, you know.How about we play one more point?
Okay.
This time I'll play lefty.
I don't even know if that's better or not.
All serve.All right, speed.One point, lefty.You got it for everything.
Dog, you like