Coach Patrick Mouratoglou paid his tribute to the late tennis coach Nick Bollettieri, saying that the tennis community “lost a very special human being.” On Monday, it was reported that Bollettieri passed away at the age of 91.
Throughout his coaching career, Bollettieri was one of the most influential figures and one of the most beloved coaches in the tennis world. Bollettieri famously coached the likes of Andre Agassi, Pete Sampras, Boris Becker, Jim Courier, Michael Chang, Tommy Haas, Maria Sharapova, Monica Seles, Anna Kournikova and Jelena Jankovic.
Mouratoglou’s tribute to Bollettieri
“Nick you are a legend. You are a pioneer. You are a visionary. Thanks to you, I have dreamt of having my own Tennis Academy, help the young generation find themselves as adults, prepare them for life, and make their dreams come true.
For those who have had the chance to meet you, they can testify that you had a very unique energy and a lot of power inside yourself that you were able to convey to all the players. That made you such a unique human being. I’m very saddened by the loss of Nick Bollettieri.
The tennis family has lost someone very important today, someone who has made our industry grow and has opened opportunities for coaches and players. We will remember the very special human being you were. We will all miss you,” Mouratoglou wrote on Instagram.
Mouratoglou, 52, is now considered one of the best coaches in today’s tennis.
After working with Serena Williams for a decade, Mouratoglou accepted to work with two-time Grand Slam champion Simona Halep. Since Halep ended her 2022 season prematurely, she gave Mouratoglou the permission to work with Holger Rune until the end of the 2022 season.
Rune, 19, certainly benefited a lot from working with Mouratoglou as he made four consecutive finals during the indoor season. Rune’s biggest victory came in November, when he captured his first Masters title in Paris.
En route to winning the Paris Masters, Rune defeated five top-10 players – including Novak Djokovic in the final. In late October, Halep tested positive for a prohibited substance and it is unclear when she will be allowed to return to tennis.
In his statement, Mouratoglou said he was fully behind Halep. In her own statement, Halep described it as “the most shocking news” of her life. In April, Halep hired Mouratoglou and noted she did it because she wanted to return to winning Grand Slams.
