Florida Senate - 2019                                    SR 1336
       
       
        
       By Senator Benacquisto
       
       
       
       
       
       27-00980A-19                                          20191336__
    1                          Senate Resolution                        
    2         A resolution to recognize the lifetime achievements of
    3         legendary tennis coach Nicholas J. “Nick” Bollettieri.
    4  
    5         WHEREAS, Nicholas J. “Nick” Bollettieri, president emeritus
    6  of IMG Academy in Bradenton, is one of the most influential
    7  people in the world of tennis, and
    8         WHEREAS, in 1978, Nick Bollettieri created the academy
    9  model of training and founded the Nick Bollettieri Tennis
   10  Academy (NBTA) in Florida, which was the first full-time tennis
   11  boarding school to combine intense training on the court with a
   12  custom-designed academic curriculum, and
   13         WHEREAS, NBTA successfully blended technical and strategic
   14  on-court tennis training with specialized physical and mental
   15  conditioning, an approach that not only builds athletes on the
   16  court, but also prepares them for a successful life off the
   17  court, and
   18         WHEREAS, Nick Bollettieri used this method to coach 10 No.
   19  1 players who are household names in the sport — Agassi, Becker,
   20  Courier, Hingis, Jankovic, Rios, Seles, Sharapova, and Venus and
   21  Serena Williams, as well as a multitude of other world-class
   22  players who include Nishikori, Haas, Kournikova, and Arias, and
   23         WHEREAS, in 1987, Nick Bollettieri joined forces with IMG
   24  to turn NBTA into a multi-sport training facility known as IMG
   25  Academy, which spans 500 acres and trains more than 13,000
   26  athletes from more than 75 countries annually, and
   27         WHEREAS, IMG Academy is an economic force in Florida,
   28  bringing families to this great state, building businesses, and
   29  growing communities in and around Manatee County, and
   30         WHEREAS, now, at age 87, Nick Bollettieri still gets up at
   31  5 a.m. every day for a schedule of teaching, coaching, and
   32  overseeing the progress of numerous professional players, elite
   33  juniors, and academy groups, in addition to his traveling and
   34  public speaking, and
   35         WHEREAS, honored with many tennis awards and accolades,
   36  Nick Bollettieri brings a passion, energy, and commitment to all
   37  he pursues, and he makes a special point to support programs for
   38  youth and charitable foundations that provide opportunities for
   39  less fortunate children, and
   40         WHEREAS, through his work and his many accomplishments,
   41  Nick Bollettieri has proven that personal resilience, hard work,
   42  and a positive attitude form a winning foundation not only in
   43  tennis, but in life, NOW, THEREFORE,
   44  
   45  Be It Resolved by the Senate of the State of Florida:
   46  
   47         That legendary tennis coach Nicholas J. “Nick” Bollettieri
   48  is recognized for his lifetime achievements.
   49         BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this resolution, with
   50  the Seal of the Senate affixed, be presented to Nicholas J.
   51  “Nick” Bollettieri as a tangible token of the sentiments of the
   52  Florida Senate.