Coco Gauff and Judy Murray pay heartfelt tribute to legendary coach Nick Bollettieri after his passing

Coco Gauff and Judy Murray were among many from the tennis fraternity to pay tribute to legendary coach Nick Bollettieri, who passed away at the age of 91.

Bollettieri is known for revolutionizing tennis coaching by establishing the concept of a tennis boarding school to support the development of emerging tennis players. Over the course of his extraordinary career, Bollettieri coached as many as 10 players to the No. 1 position in the world.

World No. 7 Coco Gauff paid tribute to the coach via her Twitter handle, writing:

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“RIP to one of the pioneers of the game and one of the greatest coaches the game has ever seen. Thank you Mr. Nick Bollettieri.”

Coco Gauff

@CocoGauff

RIP to one of the pioneers of the game and one of the greatest coaches the game has ever seen🏾 Thank you Mr. Nick Bollettieri

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RIP to one of the pioneers of the game and one of the greatest coaches the game has ever seen🙏🏾 Thank you Mr. Nick Bollettieri

Andy Murray's mother, Judy Murray, also took to Twitter to pay tribute to Nick Bollettieri, adding that he was a friend, role model, and inspiration to her and many other coaches.

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“Legend of the game, pioneer of the worlds most famous tennis academy which he built on a tomato patch in Bradenton + produced so many great champions. Always supportive, always positive, an inspiration, a great friend + a role model to me + so many coaches. @NickBollettieri,” wrote Judy Murray.

judy murray

@JudyMurray

Legend of the game, pioneer of the worlds most famous tennis academy which he built on a tomato patch in Bradenton + produced so many great champions. Always supportive, always positive, an inspiration, a great friend + a role model to me + so many coaches. @NickBollettieri

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Legend of the game, pioneer of the worlds most famous tennis academy which he built on a tomato patch in Bradenton + produced so many great champions. Always supportive, always positive, an inspiration, a great friend + a role model to me + so many coaches. ❤️@NickBollettieri https://t.co/LDukVzQbV5

Bollettieri has coached the likes of Jim Courier, Andre Agassi, Monica Seles, and Mary Pierce and has worked with players like Serena and Venus Williams, Maria Sharapova, Martina Hingis, and Kei Nishikori. The famous coach passed away two weeks after initially refuting the death rumors that had surfaced as a result of his declining health.

"A dreamer and a doer, and a pioneer in our sport" - Tommy Haas pays tribute to former coach Nick Bollettieri

Tommy Haas in action at the BMW Open

Tommy Haas, the current Indian Wells tournament director and former World No. 2, posted a poignant tribute to Nick Bollettieri on Instagram. Haas was among the many players that attended Bollettieri's academy. The German expressed his gratitude to the tennis coach and said that he would miss him deeply.

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“So many memories, i am not sure where to begin. Nickiiii, that's how i have called you for the longest time. Thank you for your time, knowledge, commitment, expertise, the willingness to share your skill, your personal interest in mentoring me, and giving me the best opportunity to follow my dreams,” wrote Tommy Haas on Instagram.

“You were a dreamer and a doer, and a pioneer in our sport, truly one of a kind. I surely will miss you around the academy, our Tennis talks, miss showing of your tan, white teeth and body fat, miss watching you do Tai Chi, miss playing Golf with you watching you try to cheat, eating a Snickers bar and running for the bushes, and hearing all about your plans even at the age of 91. Thanks again for everything.........RIP Nickiiii,” he added.

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