The American coach has trained or accompanied ten future world number 1 in the IMG Academy, which he founded in 1978.
MO12345LEMONDE With AFP
Nick Bollettieri, former tennis coach who trained or accompanied legends of his sport, died at the age of 91, announced on Monday, December 5, the Img Academy, the tennis academy that he had founded in Florida. “Tennis would not be where it is today without the influence of Nick,” said Jimmy Arias, now a tennis director at the IMG Academy, who was also one of the first students of Bollettieri within it.
The tennis advocated by the former soldier was focused on a very intense physical exercise and an emulation between his players. He thus formed or accompanied ten future world number 1, including Andre Agassi, Boris Becker, Jim Courier, Monica Seles, Maria Sharapova, Venus and Serena Williams.
The first to comment on his death was, precisely, one of his former students, the German Tommy Haas. “Thank you for your time, your knowledge, your involvement, your expertise, your desire to share your know-how, your personal desire to get used to it and give me a maximum of chances to realize my dreams”, wrote Haas on his Instagram account Several hours before the death of the coach are formalized.
“You were a dreamer and an action person, a pioneer of our sport, a unique character. I will miss you at the academy, in our discussions on tennis, your tanning will miss, your white teeth And your fat, I won’t see you doing tai chi, our golf games will miss me, see you trying to cheat (…) and getting told telling all your projects, even at 91 years old, go me I miss it again.
quickly followed the tribute from the German Sabine Lisicki, ex-12