Nick Bollettieri, pioneering tennis coach, dies aged 91

American coached Williams sisters, Agassi and Sharapova

LEGEND: Tennis Player Andre Agassi sits with his coach Nick Bollettieri, November 15, 1990. Pic: John Russell/Getty Images

Nick Bollettieri, the larger-than-life coach whose famed Florida tennis academy produced some of the sport’s greatest players, has died at the age of 91, with his former student Tommy Haas leading tributes to the “one of a kind” American.

The son of Italian immigrant parents, Bollettieri served in the US army and dropped out of law school to become a coach, shaping the careers of champion players such as Andre Agassi, Serena and Venus Williams, Monica Seles and Maria Sharapova. A pioneering mentor who coached 10 world No 1 players, he was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2014.