Tennis history is funny. We remember the guys holding the trophies and the loud-mouthed fathers in the stands, but the architects in the background? They often fade into the local lore of sunny California courts.
If you watched the movie King Richard, you saw Tony Goldwyn playing a coach who looked a bit skeptical but eventually gave in to the sheer will of Richard Williams. That was Paul Cohen. Honestly, though, the Hollywood version—while great for drama—barely scratches the surface of who this guy actually was in the tennis world.
He wasn't just some country club pro who happened to be in the right place at the right time. Paul Cohen was a heavyweight. We’re talking about the first-ever touring coach on the ATP tour. Before him, players basically just traveled together and figured it out. He changed that.
The Man Behind the Legends
Most people know him as the guy who first coached Venus Williams. But look at his resume before the Williams sisters even stepped onto the Brentwood courts. He had already worked with John McEnroe. He’d coached Pete Sampras. He worked with Michael Chang.
Think about those names for a second.
McEnroe and Sampras represent two completely different ends of the tennis spectrum—one a fiery, serve-and-volley artist with a temper that could melt steel, and the other a quiet, clinical assassin. The fact that Cohen could navigate both those personalities tells you everything you need to know about his coaching range. He wasn't a "system" coach who forced everyone to play the same way. He was a tactician who understood the person behind the racket.
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That "King Richard" Meeting: Fact vs. Fiction
In the movie, Richard Williams basically ambushes Cohen while he’s coaching McEnroe and Sampras. It makes for a killer scene. In reality, it was a bit more professional, though no less intense. Richard cold-called him.
Imagine being the top coach in LA, working with the world’s best, and getting a call from a guy in Compton saying he has the next two GOATs in his minivan. Most people would’ve hung up. Cohen didn't.
He agreed to see them, and he was immediately floored. He famously said he’d never seen a six-year-old as strong as Serena or a potential champion as graceful as Venus. But here’s the kicker—and where the drama usually starts: he only agreed to coach Venus for free.
He didn't think Serena was "bad," but at that moment, Venus was the standout. It’s one of those "what if" moments in sports history. Imagine being the coach who technically passed on the greatest player of all time because you were focusing on her (also legendary) sister.
Why the "Connected Tennis" Philosophy Actually Worked
Cohen wasn't just hitting balls. He developed something he called "Connected Tennis."
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It sounds a bit "California woo-woo," but it was actually deeply technical. He focused on the contact point and "early preparation." If you watch old footage of his students, they all have this specific, clean efficiency.
- Balance: He was obsessed with it.
- The Finish: He believed the follow-through told the whole story of the stroke.
- Mental Geometry: He taught players how to see the court as a series of angles rather than just a net and some lines.
He was a bit of a polymath, too. Did you know he was a world-champion arm wrestler? Yeah. The guy had forearms like Popeye. That physical strength translated into how he taught power—not through swinging harder, but through leverage and timing.
The Breakup with Richard Williams
The partnership didn't last forever. Coaching a Williams sister meant coaching the whole Williams family, and Richard was... well, Richard.
Cohen wanted the girls to play the junior circuit. He wanted them to get battle-hardened in tournaments. Richard said no. He wanted to keep them in a bubble, protected from the burnout and the "country club" pressure of the 90s junior scene.
It was a fundamental clash of philosophies. Cohen was old school—you prove yourself in the bracket. Richard was a disruptor. Eventually, the family moved on to Rick Macci in Florida, but the foundation? That was laid on the West Coast with Cohen.
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Why We Should Care About Paul Cohen Today
Paul passed away in 2007 from a rare lung disease. He didn't live to see the full extent of the Williams' dominance or the way the game became entirely about the "power-baseline" style he helped refine.
Sometimes the most influential people in a sport aren't the ones in the Hall of Fame with the most rings. They’re the ones who taught the Hall of Famers how to hold the racket in the first place. Cohen was the bridge between the classic era of the 70s and the modern, hyper-athletic game we see today.
If you’re a player or a coach, there are some pretty clear takeaways from Cohen’s career that still apply to the 2026 game:
- Preparation is everything. He used to say that if you’re late to the ball, you’ve already lost the point. Work on your footwork and take-back before you worry about hitting the ball at 100 mph.
- Adapt to the athlete. Don't try to turn a Sampras into a McEnroe. Look at what your natural strengths are and sharpen them until they’re lethal.
- The "Long Finish." Next time you’re on court, focus on your follow-through. Cohen believed a "connected" swing ends with the body in total balance.
If you want to dig deeper into his specific drills, look up his "Connected Tennis" videos. They're vintage now, but the mechanics of a perfect forehand don't really change with the times. You can still see his influence every time Venus hits that trademark open-stance backhand. It’s a direct line back to those Brentwood courts.