Nick Bollettieri Honored with Memorial Tribute Display at SRQ Airport

A memorial display and tribute to legendary tennis coach Nick Bollettieri was opened and dedicated at the SRQ Airport on Wednesday, August 7th with over 100 friends, family, former students and coaches, and industry leaders in attendance.

The memorial display is a tribute to Nick Bollettieri, considered by the world of tennis as the greatest tennis coach of all time.  His coaching record includes training 11 #1 world ranked by players including Andre Agassi, Monica Seles, Maria Sharapova, Serena and Venus Williams, many other top professional players as well as scores of collegiate players. 

Bollettieri is the pioneer and founder of IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, the world’s largest and most prestigious sports training facility in the world.

Source: IMG Academy

Bollettieri’s impact on the Sarasota/Bradenton area is considered as great as that of John Ringling and Anthoney Rossi in terms of worldwide recognition, and economic and cultural impact to the Sarasota and Bradenton communities.

The memorial display is a tribute not only to Bollettieri’s many achievements in the game of tennis, but also to the tens of thousands of young players that he helped (many times on his own dollar) to reach their dreams both on and off the tennis court. Bollettieri did not believe in the word “no” and his whole life – many times in the face of detractors – pursued his dreams always teaching others that hard work and believing in yourself were the  keys to a successful life.

The memorial display is the inspiration of long time Bollettieri friends and associates Bill Rompf, Steve Shulla, and Judge (Retired) Robert Farrance.  It is prominently located next to the escalators in the first floor baggage area entrance. It displays a timeline and memorabilia of Bollettieri’s life and accomplishments.

The dedication ceremony was held on Wednesday, August 7th at 4:30 pm followed by a reception.  Speakers included Bill Rompf, Bill Galvano (former President of the Florida Senate), Judge (Retired) Bob Farrance, Rick Piccolo (CEO of the SRQ Airport, Tommy Hass (one of Bollettieri’s professional players who achieved a world ranking of #2 and is now the Tournament Director of the BNP Paribas at Indian Wells), and James “Jimmy Boy” Bollettieri, Nick’s oldest son.  Ray Collins was the event emcee.

Other attendees included former world champions, and Bollettieri students Brian Gottfried, Anne White and Kathlyn Horvath. The Bollettieri family included Bollettieri’s wife Cindi and their two sons Gio and Giacomo; daughters Danielle (and her daughter Addie Skye), Nicole (with husband Brad and sons Hudson and Jameson), and Alex. Industry leaders in attendance included representatives from the USTA, PTR, and the USPTA.

The memorial display and event organizers, Bill Rompf, Steve Shulla and Judge Robert Farrance all praised the airport and Rick Piccolo for all their hard work and patience in making this project a success. As well they praised Julie Kanapaux who was the designer and producer of the display.

The team also specially thanked IMG Academy for their cooperation, memorabilia, and generous support of the memorial display.

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Written by: Jaret Kappelman, Marketing & Communications Coordinator for USTA Florida. Be sure to check out USTA Florida, the governing body of amateur tennis in Florida, offering tennis programs for all ages and ability levels. Top photo: Charlie Cowins, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Other photos courtesy of USTA Florida.