It was announced that legendary tennis coach Nick Bollettieri, who worked with stars like Andre Agassi, the Williams sisters, Maria Sharapova and others during his career, has died at the age of 91. The announcement was made to the Associated Press through Bolletieri’s manager, Steve Shulla. “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. It was wonderful. He touched so many lives, and he had a great send-off,” said Shulla. The self-proclaimed “Michelangelo of tennis” was famous for his work revolutionizing the sport for youth, as well as coaching no less than ten players into the number 1 world rankings. 

One of those number ones, Andre Agassi, paid homage to Bolletieri, writing on his Twitter, “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.” Matthew Syed, writing for The Times, remembered Bollettieri’s coaching style, saying, “He wasn’t the most astute teacher of the technical side of the game, but he was a keen student of human nature with an uncanny ability to make you want to do your best.” He remembered a conversation he’d had with the coaching legend, who said, “The trait that is extremely important in sports or business is to read people. And what you try to do is find a way to reach them. No two people in the whole world are the same, and the trick is to find out a lot about that person because that will tell you how to motivate them, how to find their triggers, how far you can push them.”

Born to Italian immigrant parents on July 31, 1931, in Pelham, New York, Bollettieri’s involvement in the sport did not begin until after high school. In the 60s, he became the tennis director at the Dorel Beach Resort. By the 80s, he had opened up the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy in Bradenton, Florida. The International Management Group (IMG) later bought the academy from Bollettieri in 1987, where he continued to have an impact and continued pioneering the concept of a tennis boarding school. In 1983, The Miami Herald wrote an article entitled, “Courting Fame: Nick Bollettieri Says His Grueling Tennis School Is the Wave of the Future for All Sports. He May be Right. But is it Right for the Kids?” The article questioned the high intensity of Bollettieri’s tennis camps, where “It turns out that tennis isn’t merely a game. It’s an industry. It’s life. And near death. It hurts.” Bollettieri’s model would soon become the model throughout the country and would go on to impact other sports. In 2014, he was just the fourth coach to be inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame. In reflecting on his legacy after being inducted, Bollettieri said, “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.”

Bollettieri died at his home in Florida after a prolonged illness.