Midwest Connection - Winter 2023

President's Message MATT DAVIS

I would like to wish all of you Happy Holidays with your families and friends. Here in the Midwest most of us hope for a little snow around the Holidays. Hopefully those of you that do, will get your wish. We have some wonderful events coming up this year which you will read about in this issue of the Midwest Connection.

Our November Virtual conference was successful with 41 attendees over the two day presentations. Happy to say our Division lead the way out of all the Divisions that participated. Thank you to Greg Aten our Executive Director for really steering the ship along with the other participating ED’s from the different Divisions. I think you will be seeing more of these virtual events with combined Divisions this coming year

A New Year’s resolution could be for you that attending more Education Events will help you in your career as a Racquets Professional. We all are focused on our careers at our current roles, but we also need to continue to learn and grow as a Racquets Professional. Here are two events that our Midwest Division Board would love for you to attend.

First, is our USPTA Midwest Winter Forum in collaboration with the Indiana High School Tennis Coaches Association on February 2nd-4th. In this issue, you will be able to register for the conference and learn more about the itinerary. One thing that you will see with both conferences are more social activities where we can get together and meet new people and catch up with friends from the past. At this conference we will be holding a Pickleball Team Activity Friday night following the conference. We will head to the District Tap after for our Midwest Social to enjoy some networking along with some food and beverages. All USPTA Midwest Professional attendees will also receive a gift for attending. The speakers will feature Tom Gullickson and Troy Hahn just to name a few. We hope you can join us in Indianapolis in early February

Our next big event will be the Summer Symposium in Cleveland, Ohio August 24th and 25th We have been going to Cincinnati for our event for quite some time and it’s been great. After looking at our options to try something different the USPTA Midwest Board decided to try Tennis in the Land and head to Cleveland. We are beyond grateful for our time in Cincinnati and the use of Steve Contardi’s club the last few years in Cincinnati. It’s time for a fresh start and thinking in a different direction. This conference is going to be awesome. I’m hoping that you will be able to join us for this event We will be taking the Nautica Queen boat cruise while recognizing our 2023 Hall of Fame Inductees on the canals of downtown CLE. For those of you that don’t know of the Tennis in the Land tournament, it’s a WTA event that brings in very strong players. There will also be discounts for USPTA members to attend the tennis event.

Wow, two outstanding events that we hope you can attend! Please reach out to greg.aten@uspta.org if you have any questions on either of these upcoming education and social events. I would like to thank our Midwest Board and our Executive Director Greg Aten for all the work they do to continue to provide education opportunities for all of you.

Happy New Year!

2022/2023 Midwest Officers

President

Tennis in College: The Bridge from Juniors to Adults

By Todd Wojtkowski, USPTA Elite Professional Head Men's Tennis Coach Case Western Reserve University

When the majority of high school tennis players go to college, we seem to lose them from the sport for quite some time before they return to the courts in their working 20’s. However, what many people don’t realize is that there are tons of opportunities to play while in college. Playing for a varsity team, playing for the club team, or playing on an adult league team in the summer break are all great options.

As teaching pros, it is our duty to be sure to encourage all junior players to consider these options and to help them find the necessary information on how to become involved. These conversations about playing tennis while in college should begin even before the players are in high school and continue throughout the high school playing career.

If you are looking to play varsity tennis the best way to get started is to make a list of schools that you would like to attend for academic reasons. Then, look at the ratings and rankings of the players on the roster. If it seems as if the level of tennis is too high, you could start to browse social media for the club tennis page for that school. Most of the time you can get in contact with the club president and can find out more about how to play for the team. Another easy way to find the right place would be to go into a ratings/rankings page and search for schools that have the same player ratings as you have, or plan to have.

When making these lists it is often advisable to have about 21 schools that are comprised of 33% that would be a ‘reach’, 33% that would be a reality, and 33% that would be a backup option. Do keep in mind that there are many examples in which a backup becomes your very top choice and many examples in which a ‘reach’ also becomes your top choice!

Matt Davis

• 224-247-2483 tenace4@gmail com

Regional Vice President John Frausto

• 920-860-0751 johnfrausto@gmail.com

Second Vice President Cathy Thomas

• 513-218-0782 cthomas6@cinci rr com

Third Vice President Matt Boughton

• 715-559-3168 mboughton@ymca-cv.org

Treasurer-Secretary

Chip Fazio

• 313-670-3277 chipfazio@gmail com

Past President

Mike Graff

• 248-866-0508 mike@baselinetennis net

Executive Director

Greg Aten- 330-283-5837 greg.aten@uspta.org

State Presidents

Ohio

Todd Wojtkowski

• 216-905-7463 todd wojtkowski@gmail com

Wisconsin

Dan Oliver

• 920-227-7005 danonhgb@aol.com Illinois

Andrew Coon

• 314-814-7959 Andrew coonstl@gmail com

Michigan

Kyle Warner

• 269-207-9236 kywar8@gmail.com

Indiana TBD

•

USPTA World Headquarters 407-634-3050 uspta@uspta org

MichiganHighSchoolTennisCoachesAssociationWorkshop,atHopeCollege,Holland,Mi. REGISTER

USPTAWINTERFORUM/IndianaHighSchoolTennisCoachesConventionIndianapolis RacquetClub,8249DeanRd,Indianapolis,IN

IllinoisHighSchoolTennisCoachesWinterWorkshop

OhioHighSchoolTennisCoaches,

USPTA Virtual Conference/ “Making Money On Court”

November 9th- 10th

The Midwest Division combined with 6 other divisions (Eastern, Florida, Hawaii, New England, Pacific Northwest & Southwest) to host the 8 hour conference.

Special Thanks to our speakers: Len Simard, Mike Woody, Butch Staples, Meika Ashby, Tom Daglis, Dominique Lemperle, Nancy Meyers, Matt Prevedi & Brian Park

Mike Woody, USPTA Midwest Hall of Fame class of 2012

4 Programs You Must Have to Grow Tennis

By Mike Graff, USPTA Elite Professional

Mike is the Vice President for Genesis Health Clubs where he is responsible for 15 tennis facilities with 139 tennis courts and over 100 tennis professionals. He began his talk by sharing some benchmarks that he expects to meet at his clubs

A tennis pro should generate $100,000-$150,000 per year

Every court should generate $100,000-$200,000 per year

Each new tennis player is worth $2,000-$5,000 per year

Each new family of tennis players is worth $6,000-$15,000 per year

The four programs you must have to grow tennis are:

1 A program for new adult players

2. Cardio Tennis

3. U10 program

4. An introductory free lesson for new players/members

Each of these programs needs a dynamic, excited, champion from your staff dedicated to making them great

The program for new adult players should have three stages A “try tennis” component – this is a free program to introduce players to the game It should have a “learn tennis” component – this is a paid program for further instruction And it should have a “play tennis” component – this is a paid program for further opportunities for organized play Important thoughts for this type of program are to provide your staff champion with a system for consistently promoting the three programs as well as a framework/lesson plan for use during the “try tennis” component to help your staff deliver a consistent, organized product to all new players

The introductory free lesson should include a few tips on the court as well as some time spent explaining the opportunities that may be level appropriate for your new player/member Assist them in getting involved in your programs as soon as possible

Center

Zoom Presentation by Butch Staples

Overview by Andrew Coon – USPTA Midwest Vice President, USPTA Elite Pro and Collegiate D3 Coach

ROGY- what does that mean to you? For some, when they hear “ROGY”, their head starts to hurt thinking about 20-30 kids under the age of 6 screaming and running around like little crazy people Or it can mean a constant progression at your club, watching those young Red Ballers move into Orange, then Green and finally the optic-Yellow ball!

I think of ROGY as a nice, yet sometimes hard progression from one ball to the next; but such as life, everything is usually hard for a while when moving up in the world, especially learning tennis.

Butch Staples gave a great presentation on how, we as tennis pros, coaches and club management, need to embrace the ROGY pathway and see how it is “essential” to the economics of a club He laid out many points to us on, what he considers to be, the best profit center for clubs, and I will be honest, I must agree with him 100%.

Butch put this in a very simple way; a club must Gain and Retain players and create a “yearn to return” How do we do this though? As a teaching pro first starting years ago, I remember when I was picked to help teach the little Red Ballers, so cute when you first get out onto court and then the crying and whining came out 5 mins into a 60-minute clinic Not fun, but you know what, I got better and improved the way I spoke, taught and engaged with the little ones and they kept coming back, over and over again I didn’t realize it at the time, but I was doing exactly what Butch said we must do – engage with the students, keep them learning and always have FUN!! These are still things I try to do with players at all levels, to this day, not just the little ones, but High Performance and Collegiate players

After speaking about the little ones and the progression steps from one ball to another, Butch got into the grit of how a club can make ROGY their best profit center From making every program an “optimal learning environment”, to speaking about how to use every square inch of Real Estate on the courts as possible. I have heard this many times before from other presenters, speaking about club economics, Private lessons Less, Group lessons MORE. This is the way to maximize the potential profit a club can make, if they want to succeed and build a great program

While there is always a place for Private lessons, to work on short term goals and technical/tactical skills, Group lessons are longterm If you have group lessons/clinics in every area of your programming, a MUST according to Butch, you can look at the LongTerm, not just the Short-Term. Programming, as he put it, is an “organized/planned shared journey with long-term goals.” They involve coaching, play, social interaction at every level, and all of this creates a “Sense of Community.”

“The success of any program, no matter how well planned, is fully dependent on the coach responsible for the Learning environment.” This rings so true and Butch went on to say that, as a tennis pro, “to have success in a program, you must be playful, have fun as a coach, be highly engaged/creative, positive and have an interest in each and every student ”

The point of Butch’s presentation was simple, make kids have fun, in a safe and highly motivating environment and you will retain kids and they will progress through your system and club for years to come

Butch said that “Coaches are the architects, party planner and designer” of clinics and lessons, and if we create the right environment and culture with the right pros, staff and highly engage with the students, your club will be on the right path

to Maximize your Return of ROGY Junior Programming – Potentially your Best Profit

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2022 Wisconsin High School Tennis Coaches Association Clinic

Friday, November 11 & Saturday, November 12, 2022

Hitters Sports Complex Middleton, WI

The weekend of November 11 and 12 provided a great spark for Wisconsin tennis as the annual high school clinic was able to convene after a several year absence. The clinic organization was spearheaded by USPTA Pro, Trude Pletcher.

The clinic, held at Hitters Sports Complex in Middleton, WI was headed by a former resident of Beaver Dam, WI, Don Paitrick. He spoke three times during the weekend and hit on all cylinders with chats on “relevant point play”, “basics for new and developing players” and designing a “dynamic high school practice.” Don is a resident of Charlottesville, VA, but was excited about returning to his home state for the clinic.

USTA Staffers Judy Veloff and Erik Seifert provided the coaches with lots of USTA ammo for the coaches to pursue.

In addition to Don, the Wisconsin Men’s Coach, Dan Westerman, chatted about angles in doubles, court coverage, and doubles shot selection.

USPTA members John Reed and Paul Lauterbach provided a terrific chat and drills about bridging the gap from high school player to college player.

Also, USPTA Pro, Scott Ficks talked frankly about the relationship between a high school coach and teaching pro and ways to bridge that gap.

A group of USPTA Pros, headed up by Wisconsin President Dan Oliver, demonstrated their favorite drills for the coaches.

Besides the clinic, inducted into the high school coaches Hall of Fame were Camilla Owen of Janesville, WI, Bob Heideman of Rhinelander, WI, Rose Dolatowski of Burlington, WI and Harry Stoebe of Kenosha, WI

Wisconsin High School Tennis Coaches and Wisconsin USPTA Pros provide a great spark for tennis!

Respectfully submitted by USPTA Professional, Denny Schackter

My Experience on the USPTA Drill Court.

Costin Fink, USPTA Elite Professional

As a young professional in the tennis industry, when I was first asked by Dan Oliver to be apart of the USPTA Drill Court at the Wisconsin High School Coaches Conference, my first internal reaction was one of both surprise and then nerves. I immediately agreed to be apart of this as I knew it would be a great opportunity for me to share some of the knowledge I have obtained over the years playing, teaching, attending workshops and conferences, and especially coaching High School Tennis.

When I really started thinking about what drills I wanted to present, I thought of what challenges High School Coaches typically face. The first things that sprung to mind were the limited court space and limited number of coaches compared to how many athletes you have at practice. As such, the drills I presented were all able to be self-fed by the athletes and could be modified to fit numbers from 3-6 kids on each court.

These drills I presented were part of a great mixture of both coach-fed and athlete-fed drills delivered by great USPTA Professionals such as Dan Oliver, John Frausto, Paul Lauterbach and Rick Vetter. It was great watching and learning from their drill presentations as well both before and after my presentation of drills. All in all, although nerve-wracking as it was my first presentation speaking at, I am glad to have said yes when Dan called and asked me.

I hope those of us in the industry can capitalize on this opportunity Your thoughts?

TENNIS

CONDOLENCES

ALAN SCHWARTZ

USPTA Midwest Hall of Fame Class of 2021

GREATS

died December 2nd surrounded by his children, grandchildren, and wife of 64 years Over the span of his 91 years, the scope of his influence and the list of his accomplishments made it seem as if he'd lived two lifetimes Still, it wasn't enough for him To the end, his "to do" list exceeded the limits of mortal imagination

Alan was born November 7, 1931, in New York City, the first child of Kevie W Schwartz and Vera (Isaacs) Schwartz His educational trajectory began at PS 6, followed by Phillips Academy (Andover) '48, Yale University '52, and Harvard Business School '54

From a young age, sports figured prominently in his life At Andover, Alan captained the tennis team and lettered in swimming Despite thinking of himself as a tennis player, it was his swimming that captured the attention of Yale's famed Coach Kiphuth Following an AndoverYale meet, Kiphuth recruited Alan to Yale's swim team with the following pitch: "You are the biggest, fastest, dumbest swimmer I've ever seen I want you on my team because I can fix that " At Yale, Alan had a lot of fun Part of it was as a decorated athlete; part of it as a host (along with his three roommates) to a formal gambling den; and part of it as an enthusiastic road tripper to several of the nearby all women's colleges So exhaustive were his exploits into the social aspect of undergraduate life that the dean of the engineering school summoned him to his office "Mr Schwartz," he asked, "are you under the impression Yale is a correspondence school?" Informed of this encounter, Alan's father Kevie arranged for his son to spend his junior year living in a single

Despite his undergraduate escapades, Harvard Business School accepted him, where he graduated with distinction His work ethic having improved, he skipped graduation, opting instead to start work with his father in the chromium plating business in Chicago Within a year, Alan and Kevie sold the business, and started a commercial real estate business

Alan continued his tennis career after college, going on to win eight National Championships and seven Illinois State Championships He has been inducted into ten halls of fame, including the Intercollegiate Tennis Hall, Chicago Tennis Hall of Fame, and the Midwest Tennis Hall of Fame, and a Board Member of the Tennis Channel He introduced the now ubiquitous 4" baseline, as well being a cocreator of the National Tennis Rating Program (NTRP) He was instrumental in creating the US Open Series

Though he qualified for Wimbledon, he skipped the tournament figuring he'd make the cut the following year. He's still awaiting that second qualifying record.

Playing tennis in Chicago, he grew frustrated there was no suitable place to play tennis indoors throughout the winter To solve the problem, Alan and his father built Midtown Tennis Club, then the world's largest Today, Midtown (now Midtown Athletic Club), is considered the world's most successful health club

Alan began his involvement with the United States Tennis Association (USTA) by hosting the Boys 14 National Indoor Championship at Midtown beginning in 1972 In 1995, he was elected to the USTA board, and later served as President Additionally, he served as Vice President of the International Tennis Federation (ITF)

The man had a personal life, too Set up on a blind date in 1958 by his PS 6 best friend Bob Block, Alan met and fell in love with Roslyn (Ronnie) Smulian Three months later, they married and ten months later, they welcomed their first born, Steven, who was followed by Andrew, Sally, and Betsy in quick succession

Ever the optimist, he booked a romantic cruise for next spring, just accepted a three-year extension to serving on the board of International Education of Students (IES), and while checking into the hospital one last time, spent an hour on the phone rearranging next week's business meetings

Except for his record as one of the worst drivers in the history of ever, he will be missed by everyone who knew him Our hearts are broken, but the roads are safer

Alan is survived by his wife Roslyn; his son Steven (Claudia); his daughters Sally (Louie Hondros) and Betsy (David Brint) He is also survived by eight grandchildren: Alex Schwartz (Sarah Kessler), Samantha and Alex Emmitt, Annie Schwartz (Maxx McClelland); Genevra (Nessa) and Charlotte Higginson; Karly and Jackson Brinla, Zachary Brint (Caroline MacNeille), and Alan Brint His greatgrandchildren Leo Schwartz, Riley and Jesse Emmitt also survive him, as do his sisters Audrey (Fred) Horne and Amy Lubin (Donald, deceased) He was predeceased in death by his son Andrew

There will be a memorial service at a later date, to celebrate Alan's remarkable life. Donations in Alan's memory would be appreciated to Foundation Fighting Blindness, www.fightingblindness.org or USTA Foundation, www.ustafoundation.com. For additional information: The Goldman Funeral Group (847) 478-1600.

THE USPTA

COMMUNITY LOST TWO

IN EARLY DECEMBER

TO FAMILY & FRIENDS THEY WILL BE DEARLY MISSED

NICHOLAS JAMES BOLLETTIERI

Nick was born July 31, 1931, in Pelham, New York, to James

parents, older sister, Rita, younger

an early

Mary Rita DeFillipo

in a multi-

his Bachelor of Science degree at Springhill College in Mobile, Alabama, that his younger brother, James “Jimmy Boy” t at the age of 14 His death profoundly affected Nick, who found solace in and around the ocean What would become his superior tan began during his summer job as a lifeguard on Virginia Beach

While at college Nick was in the ROTC program Upon graduation, he served in the Army as a 1st Lieutenant and a paratrooper in the 187th Airborne Division in Fort Campbell making more than 50 jumps Nick would later make his final jump to celebrate his 80th birthday

Upon completing his commitment to the military stateside, Nick enrolled at the University of Miami Law School where his stay was mercifully brief While in Law School, and needing to earn some extra money Nick decided he would learn how to teach tennis His influential Uncle Kenny DeFillipo found him a job at Victory Park giving tennis lessons He learned how to coach, in part, by sending his first wife to watch other pros and report back to him His first “ pro shop” was a table wedged between two Pepsi machines and his teaching fee was $3 per hour years later rising to $900 per hour Steep yes, but, as Nick would say, “Gunfighters don’t charge by the bullet ”

Nick went on to coach tens of thousands of tennis players over the next almost 70 years Nick’s illustrious tennis career evolved from working as a rec coach at Victory Park to the head pro at several prestigious clubs in the mid-west, to the family pro for the Rockefeller family and head tennis pro for their Roc Resorts, to a summer camp owner and operator and then to starting the world’s first ever boarding sports academy The Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy It was Nick’s friend and confidant, Vince Lombardi, who first recognized Nick’s special talent for inspiring and motivating children and helped Nick get his first summer camp in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin After the success of this camp, Nick’s friend, AL McGuire and A C Neilsen helped Nick start All American Sports and develop other summer camps for kids In 1977, Nick moved to the Sarasota area to take over the tennis program at the Colony Beach and Tennis Resort, owned by Dr Murray “Murf” Klauber It was here that Nick’s genius as a motivator, innovator and savant helping young players reach their full potential really took off and the NBTA was born In 1980 at The Colony, Nick was explaining to a guest, Louis Marx, how the Colony program was growing and how he needed more space and better facilities Mr Marx, a successful businessperson, replied, “Well, build it ” Nick asked, “With what?” Mr Marx said, “With money I’ll lend it to you ” and he did He wrote Nick a check for $1 million and arranged for an additional $1 million from a bank In November 1981, on 40 barren acres of former tomato fields off 34th Street in Bradenton, Nick opened the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy It was the first major sports boarding school in the world with a holistic and fully integrated training program The model has since been adopted and employed by many others throughout the world In 1987, the International Management Group (IMG) bought the Academy, but with the condition that Nick stay on as President and remain active in the development and growth of all the students, as well as continuing to coach top players from around the world onsite He was coaching players right up until his death The Academy now encompasses over 600 acres with over 1400 students from 72 different countries training in 8 (soon to be 9) different sports Through his vision and his ability to convince others in believing in him and helping him make his dream become a reality, Nick not only put Bradenton, FL on the map; but made the State of Florida known around the world as the mecca for people wanting to work hard to really make their dreams come true

Nick always considered the family farm, Breezy Hill Farm in Craftsbury Common, Vermont as his favorite place to be when not on the court He found enormous joy driving (at rather rapid speed) visitors around the farm showing them his beloved rock walls, beautiful flower beds and garden, the popular swim pond and his herd of Wagyu cows In Vermont, he found a place where he could recharge his batteries Along with summers, Nick especially enjoyed Christmas at the farm where he could show off his tremendous fire-making skills in his much-loved fireplace it is where he and his sons, Giovanni and Giacomo Bollettieri would sleep in front of every Christmas Eve

With the help of their Vermont family and several dear friends, Nick and Cindi created Camp Kaizen, a fitness camp for young ladies Camp Kaizen ran for many years in Burke and Craftsbury, Vermont It took a holistic approach to wellness and had great success at transforming the lives of many campers

Nick was honored to have been inducted into 13 Hall of Fames Especially meaningful to Nick, although the honor came late in life, was his induction in 2014 to the International Tennis Hall of Fame A year later, he became the first white man to be inducted into the Black Tennis Hall of Fame, perhaps a recognition of Nick’s lifelong efforts to involve African Americans in the sport He and tennis icon Arthur Ashe were not only friends, but together created the Ashe Bollettieri Inner Cities program to bring free tennis and education programs to inner-city communities throughout America Most recently, Nick worked with the USTA Foundation to provide the same opportunities for inner city youth

Nick will forever be enshrined in the record books as the coach who guided 10 players to the Number One singles ranking in the world A record that is unlikely to ever be broken The players are Andre Agassi, Boris Becker, Jim Courier, Martina Hingis, Jelena Jankovic, Marcelo Rios, Monica Seles, Maria Sharapova, Serena Williams, and Venus Williams

Given Nick’s long and unprecedented career, he was often asked what he wanted to be remembered for Was it the 10 number one ’ s, the Academy, the successful training model, or for changing the game of tennis? His answer was always the same He wanted to be remembered for that which brought him the greatest joy, helping youngsters and adults alike find their true inner gifts, and then motivating and guiding them to use those gifts to reach their full potential His work ethic and passion were contagious and thousands have become much more than better tennis players and coaches under his watchful eye, he made them better versions of themselves off the court as well People found Nick to be a limitless energy source To be near Nick left one feeling invigorated and confident

Having been raised in a large Italian family, Nick was happiest when surrounded by lots of people and good food He immediately felt at home with his extralarge Vermont family; in –laws Peter and Nancy (Goss) Eaton of Derby Line, Allen and Tami (Eaton) Young of Lyndonville and Timothy and Penny (Morris) Eaton of Jericho, and lots of nieces and nephews Bethany (Young) Lara, Matt and Whitney (Young) Saunders, Justin and Alley (Young) Larocque, Ian and Renn (Gardner) Young, Benjamin and Emily (Bowman) Young, Elias and Nancy (Young) Worley and Jonathan Young and of course the “littles” in his life, his grand-nieces and nephews Malachi, Alaina, Obidiah, Ronan, Evelyn, Merritt, Charlotte, Annika, Elliott, Ira, Selah and one on the way Nick was predeceased by his dear family friend, Louis “Sandy” Starr from Craftsbury

Nick’s greatest achievements were his seven children Being a child of Nick’s meant always sharing your Dad’s attention and resources with thousands of other youngsters, but each one of his kids knew that Nick loved them deeply and was immensely proud of every one of their achievements, large or small Nick is survived by his children, James Thomas Bollettieri, Danielle Bollettieri (Greg Breunich), Angelique Bollettieri, Nicole Bollettieri Kroenig (Brad), Alexandra Bollettieri, Giovanni Bollettieri and Giacomo Bollettieri Nick’s four grandchildren, Willa Bay Breunich, Addison Skye Breunich, Hudson Kroenig and Jameson Kroenig called him “Pop-Pop” and were the source of endless joy for him Nick was predeceased by his father, James Thomas Bollettieri; his mother, Mary Rita (DeFillipo) Bollettieri; his sister, Rita Mary (Bollettieri) Dutch and his brother, James Thomas Bollettieri Nick was blessed with many incredible people in his life whom he considered his family and closest confidantes including Wendy Nelson, Sean Bollettieri-Abdali and Steve Shulla

In keeping with Nick’s larger than life persona there will be three Celebrations of Life in his honor A Celebration of Nick is scheduled for 2:00 P M Saturday, March 18, 2023 to be held at IMG Academy, 5650 Bollettieri Blvd, Bradenton, FL 34210 A second Celebration for Nick will be held in Vermont the first week of August A third Celebration for Nick will take place in Capri, Italy in the fall For more information on Nick’s Celebrations or to send a message to his family, please go to www nickbollettieri com Well wishes can also be sent to the Bollettieri Family at P O Box 14472, Bradenton, FL 34280 Brown & Sons Funeral Homes & Crematory 43rd Street Chapel is in charge of the arrangements

In lieu of flowers or other tributes, the Bollettieri family has requested that contributions be made to the Bollettieri Family Foundation, a charitable organization set up to continue Nick and Cindi’s desire to assist youngsters in achieving their full potential Gifts can be mailed to P O Box 14472, Bradenton, FL 34280 or sent through GoFundMe, Bollettieri Family Foundation

Nicholas James Bollettieri, internationally recognized as the most successful tennis coach of all time, died Sunday, December 4, 2022, at his home in Bradenton, Florida Nick, as he was known to nearly everyone, passed away peacefully surrounded by his wife, Cindi (Eaton); his children; grandchildren and much-beloved lifelong friends

Thomas Bollettieri and

He grew up

generational home with his

brother, James, and maternal grandparents Although never taken with academics, his love for sports started at

age Nick lettered in both varsity basketball and football at Pelham Memorial High School He fulfilled his role as quarterback for the team with the same enthusiasm and dedication that would become a hallmark of every endeavor he undertook in the future

Exciting news from Universal Tennis for 2023!

By Jason Schickerling

Universal Tennis (the creators of the gold standard UTR Rating) has successfully launched Junior Circuits to provide more opportunities for players and organizers Already running in 25 cities across the United States, Junior Circuits provides juniors with additional opportunities to compete in verified Universal Tennis events at a city, state, and, eventually, national level To learn more about hosting Junior Circuits in your area, please fill out this form, and a member of the Universal Tennis team will contact you.

Based on positive feedback and demand from club owners and operators, Universal Tennis’ national programming efforts will continue to expand into 2023 with the launch of Junior Team Tennis and Adult Team Tennis. Junior Circuits and Team Tennis will provide organizers with new, innovative ways to offer more playing opportunities for members and generate additional revenue streams for their club operations

Universal Tennis is also excited to announce that they are launching pickleball in 2023 Users will have one home for pickleball and tennis tournaments, match play, draws, results, schedules, statistics, player profiles, ratings, and more Providers will be able to run pickleball events and manage digital membership using the software features they already know and love.

If you’d like to learn more about becoming a Universal Tennis provider or any of these new initiatives, please fill out this form, or contact Jason Schickerling at jason@universaltennis.com or (972) 666-8366.