Super Coach Nick Bollittieri of USA no more
View(s):In the global professional circuit of the 1970s, Arthur Ashe, Dennis Ralston and Chuck McKinley of the USA along with Australians and Europeans dominated the men’s field. After that Swedes Borg, Wilander, Edberg and Check Republic’s Lendl dominated. It was in this period Nick Bollettieri’s name surfaced as a coach.
Bollettieri never played professional tennis. He graduated in philosophy and from a law school. Then joined the US forces as paratrooper, which seems to have been his career. These gave him strength and ability in human resource development. For operational management and sponsorship, he shook hands with highly successful IMG group. His contribution to American tennis earned him a place, in the American Hall of Fame within his lifetime.
Victory Park
Bollettieri’s early tennis coaching stint was in ‘Victory Park’. An urban tennis school in Florida suburbs. Thinking big, he wanted to place Florida to be the tennis state of USA. A passionate pursuit.
At that time in USA, Harry Hopman of Australia, Vic Braden and Dennis Van der Meer had tennis centres. In Europe, on one-to-one player development basis, Pavel Slozil and Heinz Gunthart were with Steffi Graf of Germany, Ion Tiriac and Gunther Bosch, Rumanians were with Guillermo Villas, Boris Becker and good few others.
‘Just Do It’
These three words were not just an explanation of Bollettieri’s development strategy but also his trademark, which he marketed commercially as logo to clothes industry and many other consumer products. He is an ex-paratrooper it is not difficult to imagine the origin of this motto. To the student it meant, not to reason why, ‘Just Do It’. This strict approach would have produced many dropouts and the survivors to the threshold of injuries. Whoever survived were tough and reached top 100 of the world ranking. Good many hit the Top 10.
First boarding school
Bollittieri’s academy was the first boarding school for tennis. His development methodology was to make young players to hit hundreds of balls four to five hours a day. Academic schooling hours squeezed between tennis sessions. Diametrically opposite to the traditional norm. A player had to play three weekends tournaments every month. This was a practical mental and match play development approach. Very effective for tennis even today.
International talent search
Bollettieri’s players made him to be what he is today. He worked with Americans Andre Agassi and Jim Courier. They were his first phenomenal successes. Then Bollettieri combed the world for talent. His other players — Maria Sharapova is a Russian, Monika Seles was a Slovak and Mary Pierce, a Canadian-French. Others were of South Americans and Niseikori, a Japanese. The William sisters had a well publicised stint with Bollettieri. Gabriella Sabatini, the Argentinian diva, too had work stints with him.
In an interview, Bolletieri stated, “put good against good, to get excellent players”. The highest world ranked Sri Lanka women’s player Lihini Weerasuriya, was under his tutelage. All of these meant Bollettieri had a sound financial backing. He worked with IMG Management Group. A partnership that produced great tennis players.
Past players as coaches
Bollettieri engaged best of past players as coaches into his academy. Although he never played at professional level, he became a canny recruiter of good coaches and emerging talents. He had the whole world to come from. Western and Eastern Europe, Asia and South America were his coach scouting areas. Most of these countries in these regions were former European colonies and had tennis from 1900. Dwight Davis introduced the inter-nation Davis Cup tennis ties. The move that has made nearly 200 countries to play tennis today.
Sponsorship and doping
Bollettieri had to cope with this menace. Especially if the player is a Top 10 player of the world and branded for doping. In terms of sponsorship, sponsors want very clean and effective delivery for the top dollars they pay. Players themselves are never aware of the needs of sponsors. IMG group with Bolletieri provided the framework for players. This kept player free, to keep their focus on their game. These are very complex area.
Doping is coach’s responsibility. Thirty years ago, it was not a defined area as it is now. One player did cause him lot of trouble. With WADA, a UN body in full control, it is somewhat easier for sports academies to hold the guidelines.
Nicholas James Bolletieri 1931-2022
Looking back at the work and achievements of Nicholas James Bolletieri, as a tennis coach of elites and promoter of players, one has to appreciate the understanding he had of a game that he never played. The guidance he provided to hundreds of elite players made USA a tennis country again and Florida a tennis state.
–George Paldano, European and Asian competition player; coach German Tennis Federation; National coach Brunei and Sri Lanka; Davis Cup, Federation Cup coach, coached ATP, WTA and ITF ranked players in Europe and Asia; WhatsApp +94775448880–