Nick Bollettieri Death, Obituary – Nick Bollettieri never had the intention of revolutionizing the way tennis was coached or becoming a household name anywhere in the globe. The colorful former American football player turned paratrooper, who has passed away at the age of 91, never ceased studying about the sport throughout the course of the past six decades. Be it from his time in Coral Gables to Victory Park in North Miami Beach; from Synder Park in Springfield, Ohio, the Port Washington Tennis Academy to the Dorado Beach Resort in Puerto Rico and Beaver Dam, Wisconsin;
then The Colony Beach & Tennis Resort, located in Sarasota, and onto an old tomato field in Bradenton, Florida, his home for the past 40 years; or from the Dorado Beach Resort in Puerto Rico to the Dorado Beach Resort in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin. His first experience on a tennis court was at the New Rochelle County Club, when he was accompanied by his uncle, John Lightfoot. From that point on, he took the teachings of Vince Lombardi, along with the self-discipline and commitment that were necessary for him to parachute out of an airplane at an altitude of 14,000 feet while serving in the 187th Airborne Division of the United States Army,
and applied them to his role as a leader and visionary. He saw the need to educate talented junior players through a methodical process. In 2021, Bollettieri gave an interview to ATPTour.com in which he exclusively revealed the following: “It’s about hitting hundreds of tennis balls for four or five hours daily, of squeezing schoolwork in between training sessions, and of spending three or four weekends each month at tournaments.” [Excerpt] “Being a winner requires you to pay the price. There won’t be any happy surprises along the way.
If it happens, the victory will be a one-time only accomplishment. To attain success, one must be willing to sacrifice their blood, sweat, and tears in addition to their time, energy, and aggravation.