Tennis coach Nick Bollettieri departs after having produced an assembly line of champions like Boris Becker, Serena Williams, Jim Courier and Andre Agassi
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Nick Bollettieri
If tennis ever had a finishing B school of sorts, it was run by Nick Bollettieri. On Sunday, the American tennis guru who had shaped the careers of several tennis Grand Slam champions, across generations, passed away. At 91, Nick, in short for tennis players, had lived a full life.
Anyone who has watched an old man with the trademark dark glasses barking instructions to his wards at the hard courts of the NBTA (Nick Bollettieri) Tennis Academy in Sarasota, Florida, US, will vouch he was a hard task-master. Coming from a military background, Nick had created a work ethic that was hard for players to adopt. The good thing was, the players never complained.
Perform or perish was his instruction to the players in the academy which included, tyros, professionals, and even those who had already made a mark in the Grand Slams. Some said he was not a tennis coach in the pure sense who would teach you only how to hit a forehand or backhand, but drill you so hard in strokes and make you perfect, you were good enough to be hitting 35 shots in a rally for a single point. He had under him the best coaches to work one-on-one with the best players.
There are players from India as well who went to the NBTA, though they were not directly coached by Nick. His set-up was professional, where players from different stages were tutored by coaches who worked under him. He used technology big time and would watch players on a giant video screen where he accessed 40 acres of his tennis complex.
Just imagine, if a man could work with different players like Boris Becker, a quintessential giant serve and volley king, Andre Agassi, the Baseline Baron, Serena Williams, the queen of backcourt solidity and also a legend like Monica Seles, who grunted on each shot, how Nick would have shaped them. There were many more like US Open champion Jim Courier, whose inside-out forehand was like a laser-guided missile, and Maria Sharapova, who matched beauty and tennis in ample measure. All of them came from the NBTA, which was almost like a factory.
Nick Bollettieri’s coaching methods were hard and he drilled into players perfection with hard training methods at his base in Florida
Tennis is an extremely physical sport where longevity, endurance, speed, and possessing one killer stroke was important. Nick had that knack for spotting talent in players and grooming each one differently. The tennis players mentioned above were not homogenous, to be frank. Each had his or her style of playing, which Nick did not try to change.
There was something brilliant about him, wherein he could mentor men and women players with monotonous merit, results of which can be seen from tributes which are pouring out on Twitter.’
Tennis coaching is a hard job. Players will hire a coach and pay well, including a percentage of prize money in earnings. Changing coaches is no big deal for professional players, which is why Serena had on board the best. From NBTA to personal coaches, she changed coaches, though her war of words with the most sought-after coach today, Patrick Mouratoglou has left a bad taste in the mouth. Back to Nick Bollettieri, his academy in Sarasota and later had a tie-up with IMG (International Management Group), was residential. That helped youngsters stay there and hone their skills. There was something brilliant about him, wherein he could mentor men and women players with monotonous merit, results of which can be seen from tributes which are pouring out on Twitter.
As a traveling coach, for Nick to be moving around at Grand Slams was a big deal, though in his last 15-odd years he was confined to his base. He leaves behind his seventh wife Cindy, five children, and two adopted sons. Add to it a celebrity he has produced in glamour queen of tennis in the 90s, Anna Kournikova, legend status fits Nick Bollettieri. Rest In Peace, Nick.
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S Kannan
(382 Articles Published)