Nick Bollettieri, Renowned Tennis Coach, Dies At 91 In Bradenton

BRADENTON, FL — Hall of Fame tennis coach Nick Bollettieri died Sunday night at his Bradenton home, according to multiple reports.

He was 91 and recently faced a series of health issues, his manager, Steve Shulla, told The Associated Press.

Bollettieri, who called himself the “Michelangelo of Tennis,” worked with a number of the sports superstars throughout his career, including Andre Agassi, Monica Seles, Serena and Venus Williams, Maria Sharapova, Anna Kournikova, and Tommy Haas, reports said.

Many of them reached out to the coach when they learned about his declining health.

“When he became sick, he got so many wonderful messages from former students and players and coaches. Many came to visit him. He got videos from others,” Shulla said. “It was wonderful. He touched so many lives and he had a great send-off.”

He founded the Bollettieri Tennis Academy, which opened in 1978, in Bradenton. It was later purchased by IMG Academy, which sits on more than 600 acres and offers more than a half dozen sports, in edition to tennis, to elite youth athletes.

Born in Pelham, New York, in 1931, Bollettieri played tennis, briefly, at Spring Hill College in Mobile, Alabama. He went on to serve as a paratrooper in the U.S. Army and later enrolled in law school at the University of Miami.

He got his start as a tennis coach to earn spending money while in law school, charging $1.50 an hour. Decades later, his fee was $900 an hour, according to AP.

Eventually, he dropped out of law school to focus on coaching tennis and though he admitted that he “didn’t know much about teaching the game,” his real talent was his “ability to read people.”

Bollettieri said during his induction speed at the Hall of Fame, “I forged my own path, which others found to be unorthodox and downright crazy. Yes, I am crazy. But it takes crazy people to do things that other people say cannot be done.”

During his time as a coach, he helped 10 players become the No. 1 player in the world. Six of his former students are also in the Hall of Fame.

“Tennis wouldn’t be where it is today without Nick’s influence,” retired tennis champ Jimmy Arias, now IMG Academy director of tennis and one of Bollettieri’s students, said in a statement to the Miami Herald after learning of the coach’s death. “His tennis academy, which I had the privilege of growing up within, not only served as a launching pad for many tennis greats but evolved into an institution that has had a profound impact on the development of athletes across many sports at all levels.”

Agassi tweeted about his former coach’s death, “Our dear friend, Nick Bollettieri, graduated from us last night. He gave so many a chance to live their dream. He showed us all how life can be lived to the fullest…Thank you, Nick.”

Tennis great Billie Jean King also tweeted about the loss, writing, “Our sport lost one of its most passionate coaches (and) advocates. Nick was always positive (and) was able to get the best out of everyone fortunate enough to work (with) him.”

This article includes reporting from The Associated Press.