taught tennis to Agassi, Courier, Becker, Sampras and the Williams sisters – Corriere.it

Nick Bollettieri died. The great tennis master, who was 91 years old, had been hospitalized for some time. Monday morning, Italian time, the announcement of one of his protégés, the former n. 2 of the world Tommy Haas: So many memories, I don’t know where to start. Thank you for your time, wisdom, effort, experience, willingness to share your skills. For sure, I will miss you. The most famous tennis coach in history died at his home in Bradenton, Florida on Sunday night.

In his tennis school, the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy (NBTA) in Bradenton, California, founded in 1993, absolute champions such as Jim CourierPete SamprasAndre Agassi
Boris BeckerMonica SelesMartina Hingis and Mary Sharapova. Maybe all of them the Williams sistersthat very small, 10 Venus and 9 years Serena, already lived and played around Nick’s fields, when the father moved from California to Florida, right in West Palm Beach.

He was the one who told Nick that the little sisters were to become as strong and famous in tennis as Michael Jordan in basketballan almost impossible desire that in fact only a coach like Bollettieri was able to achieve.

And then also Sara Errani, who arrived in the US at the age of 12.

He had been hospitalized for weeks. Up until a couple of years ago, he was a regular coach on the field. In 2020 he fell ill just as he was giving lessons to his pupils. In mid-November, his daughter Angelique Anne wrote on social media: Dad is about to move to another place. Please keep it in your thoughts for a peaceful departure and a wonderful journey. We love you dad. Among the first to greet Bollettieri via the web was the German Tommy Haas: Thank you for your time, knowledge, commitment, competence, availability and for sharing your skills.

(Article being updated)