Former five-time Grand Slam champion Maria Sharapova has paid tribute to legendary coach Nick Bollettieri. This week, IMG Academy announced that Bollettieri passed away at the age of 91. When Sharapova was nine, she moved to Florida to train at IMG Academy – formerly known as the Bollettieri Academy.
Under the guidance of Bollettieri, Sharapova accomplished her goal of becoming a pro tennis player. “You turned on the gymnasium lights at 5am with the brightest (&whitest!) smile. You opened the door to your home, the grounds on which you gave us the freedom to pour our hearts and sweat on.
The scoreboard never dictated your commitment to show up for us. Boy is that rare,” Sharapova wrote on Twitter.
🤍🕊You turned on the gymnasium lights at 5am with the brightest (&whitest!) smile. You opened the door to your home, the grounds on which you gave us the freedom to pour our hearts and sweat on.
The scoreboard never dictated your commitment to show up for us. Boy is that rare!➡️ pic.twitter.com/fEhuJupPAU — Maria Sharapova (@MariaSharapova) December 6, 2022
What Bollettieri once said about Sharapova?
Sharapova was considered one of the most talented girls in Europe and her parents did their best to move her to Florida so she could have a stronger chance of unlocking her full potential.
When Sharapova arrived to Bollettieri’s academy, she was ready to work from Day 1. In one of his interviews, Bollettieri said that even as a young girl, Sharapova was all about hard work. “Maria Sharapova, who arrived at my academy in Florida aged 8, was distinct from very young.
Aged 11 or 12 she was running her own show, on court, desperate to get to work every day. “I’d arrive to take a session and she’d give me a look that said: ‘Let’s just get this frickin’ ball game started!’.
Maria didn’t like a lot of talk. Everything was business for her. She was never satisfied, and to be a repeat champion is never to be satisfied. The Williams sisters were the same. They had physical abilities beyond compare, but it was focus, not letting outside distractions overtake you. That kept them so dominant for so long,” Bollettieri once explained.
