October/November 2008 -- Earlier this year, I found out that Nick Bollettieri would be celebrating the 30th anniversary of not only his academy, but also the very concept that has changed the face of competitive tennis - a tennis boarding school that combines athletic training and academic education.
When I started to do some research for this piece, I looked into Nick's membership file and tried to remember the exact circumstances surrounding the first time I actually met him in person. What I realized is that USPTA's history and the career of Nick Bollettieri are inextricably linked.
Nick first became a member of USPTA in 1958. Back then, it didn't take many pages in our annual directory to list all of our members, even with the inclusion of photos for the members who would submit them. Nick's photograph, name and jobs are listed along with a couple of hundred other pros in the 1958 directory and many subsequent editions. But, you probably wouldn't recognize the baby-faced young man who is now identified by his signature dark tan, sunglasses and wide smile.
In 1977, Nick became director of tennis at The Colony after working for many years at the Dorado Beach Resort in Puerto Rico. In 1978 he founded the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy there.
Coincidentally, I was on the USPTA national board and at The Colony in 1978 because USPTA had signed an endorsement agreement with the resort to make it our official home and national headquarters.
While I was at The Colony, I remember that there was always an electric feeling when you were around Nick and his students. He's always been a superlative coach, but what stood out then as now was his desire to try new and different things. In just a few short years, Nick and his academy gained the enviable reputation among coaches and students worldwide for their high-performance coaching success.
Of course any tennis court is home to Nick, and that's where I continued to cross paths with him in the 1970s. I saw Nick at many national junior tournaments during a time when I was coaching my son, Chris Huff, who was nationally ranked No. 1 in 12s and 14s. At one of these tournaments, after Nick began coaching Jimmy Arias, Nick offered Chris a scholarship at his new academy. I selfishly turned down the offer. Now I can only wonder about what Chris might have achieved in professional tennis. Instead, he has become a successful business owner, and I attribute his work ethic and competitive nature to his tennis training. In the meantime, we all know that Jimmy Arias become one of the most successful U.S. players.
While I continued to be active on the USPTA board and Executive Committee, and started to work for USPTA in 1982 as its CEO, Nick continued to build his academy business. His academy outgrew The Colony and he moved to a small club in West Bradenton, Fla., in 1979. He would later build a new academy on the site where it sits today in Bradenton.
Nick's vision continued to thrive and attracted the attention of IMG, which bought the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy in 1987. The Bollettieri approach to teaching was so successful that by 1993 it was expanded to additional sports - golf, soccer, baseball, basketball, swimming, and performance.
While Nick was building his academy, his international reputation and training top-ranked players, he maintained close ties with USPTA, joining me and other fellow members in the first class of Master Professionals in 1983. He also was the 1991 Alex Gordon USPTA Professional of the Year, and was inducted into the USPTA Florida Division Hall of Fame in 2007.
We are proud to call him one of our own, but certainly Nick's accomplishments go way beyond the realm of USPTA and justifiably make him a super-star among tennis coaches. He has personally coached at least 10 players who have achieved world No. 1 rankings, and many other No. 1-ranked players have visited his world-famous academy. His tennis academy trains thousands of players each year, many of whom travel from all over the world to learn from Nick or one of his staff professionals. And, while Nick grabs the headlines with No. 1-ranked players, the academy welcomes all ages and levels, including juniors, collegiate players, adults and pros.
Regardless of his fame, he's been the consummate giver to USPTA and his fellow teaching professionals. He willingly shares his knowledge and vast experience with anyone who wants to listen, and he's graciously agreed to be a speaker at USPTA's World Conference and division conventions anytime we've asked him. And, he's done it all without charging a dime for his services.
While I don't know anyone who can adequately explain Nick's unbelievable energy level and enthusiasm, I understand why he continues to work as hard and as long as he ever did. His love of teaching keeps him on the court. His desire to help fellow teachers keeps him speaking at industry events. And, his love of the sport and his desire to improve it keeps him in our game. And, that's good for everyone in tennis.
