At Last, Bollettieri To Be Inducted Into Hall Of Fame

Written by: on 4th March 2014
NickBollettieri
At Last, Bollettieri To Be Inducted Into Hall Of Fame   |

After two unsuccessful nominations, Nick Bollettieri will finally be inducted to the International Tennis Hall of Fame this year — much to his satisfaction.

 

“I am sort of numb, hard to explain. For my family for all my players I worked with and all my friends who supported me, IMG … the award does not belong to only me,” the Sarasota Herald-Tribune quoted him as saying.

 

Even before his entry was announced, Bollettieri had spoken about how much he wanted to finally get in after not receiving enough votes in 2010 and 2012.

 

“A lot of people have come to me when I wasn’t accepted in the past, and it vanished immediately that I didn’t get in,” he said to the New York Times. “This time, after writing the book, the interviews and seeing what I’ve tried to do and continue to try to do, it would be a disappointment. I don’t know what else I could do — inner cities, scholarships, helping people changing their lives.”

 

But after starting the famous Bollettieri Academy (now IMG academy) in 1980 and developing several No.1s, the 82-year-old admits that the job is a lot more competitive than in the past.

 

“The whole world is playing tennis, and many years ago there were about six countries,” he said. “Now we are competing against the world, so it’s much more difficult for me when somebody comes up and says, ‘Nick, tell us about another champion.'”

 

If starting again, he would take another approach for the modern game.

 

“I would do a talent search and get the big, strong athletes, 11, 12 and 13 years old,” he said. “And I’d do a case study on them and go out and raise $40 to 50 million and then bring them to the academy and in five years, I’ll have your winners.”

Topics: , , , ,








10sBalls Top Stories

In Case You Missed It

EUGENIE BOUCHARD NAMED 2018 TENNIS CANADA FEMALE PLAYER OF THE YEAR / EUGENIE BOUCHARD NOMMÉE JOUEUSE DE L’ANNÉE 2018 DE TENNIS CANADA thumbnail

EUGENIE BOUCHARD NAMED 2018 TENNIS CANADA FEMALE PLAYER OF THE YEAR / EUGENIE BOUCHARD NOMMÉE JOUEUSE DE L’ANNÉE 2018 DE TENNIS CANADA

Tennis Canada announced on Wednesday that Eugenie Bouchard is the winner of the 2018 Excellence Awards in the Female Player of the Year and Singles Player of the Year categories.
TENNIS NEWS • CALIFORNIA CHAMPIONSHIPS • TOMMY HAAS, TAYLOR FRITZ, STEVE JOHNSON, MARDY FISH AND MORE thumbnail

TENNIS NEWS • CALIFORNIA CHAMPIONSHIPS • TOMMY HAAS, TAYLOR FRITZ, STEVE JOHNSON, MARDY FISH AND MORE

Time to get tickets to watch! Surly you have heard about The Largest Open Tennis Event in America!
TENNIS NEWS • RAFA NADAL CONFIRMS RETURN TO PRACTICE, EYES ABU DHABI EXHIBITION AND AUSTRALIAN SUMMER thumbnail

TENNIS NEWS • RAFA NADAL CONFIRMS RETURN TO PRACTICE, EYES ABU DHABI EXHIBITION AND AUSTRALIAN SUMMER

According to Uncle Toni, Rafael Nadal was supposed to be back at practice on either Dec. 4 or 5. Well, better late than never!
Conchita Martínez prepara la temporada 2019 de Karolina Pliskova en Tenerife thumbnail

Conchita Martínez prepara la temporada 2019 de Karolina Pliskova en Tenerife

Española y checa ya trabajaron juntas durante el pasado Open de Estados Unidos
ALEJANDRO’S FAVORITE PHOTOS FOR 10SBALLS FROM SOME OF THIS YEAR’S TOURNAMENTS thumbnail

ALEJANDRO’S FAVORITE PHOTOS FOR 10SBALLS FROM SOME OF THIS YEAR’S TOURNAMENTS

Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia hits a forehand to Kaia Kanepi of Estonia during her second round match at the Nature Valley International tennis tournament in Eastbourne, Great Britain, on Tuesday, June 26, 2018.