Remembering two of tennis’ founding fathers—our own Adams and Jefferson—Alan Schwartz and Nick Bollettieri
Sadly, last weekend we lost two pillars of our tennis family: Midtown Tennis Club founder and past USTA President Alan Schwartz, and Hall of Fame coach, author and tennis shaman Nick Bollettieri, both at the tender age of 91.
To say these men were passionate advocates for our sport and its growth is to do disservice to the phrase. I think of them as two of tennis’ founding fathers, our own Jefferson and Adams. Both in very different ways spent their lifetimes laying foundations for the game that will endure for generations; both always leading while broadening our community, both building innumerable lasting friendships and both mentoring tennis' next leaders, myself included. While their indelible legacies remain, they are irreplaceable originals who will be sorely missed. On behalf of everyone at Tennis Channel, I want to extend our deepest condolences to their families and all who share in this profound loss.
He was in many ways a founding figure, the John Adams-like architect and consummate insider of the modern global tennis landscape.
Ken Solomon on Alan Schwartz
Alan Schwartz literally set the template for the modern athletic club. His vision and love of tennis (and real estate) led to the launch of Midtown Tennis Club (now the Midtown Athletic Club) in Chicago in 1970. What began as a single tennis venue has grown into a chain of clubs in the U.S. and Canada, with a full complement of services far beyond the courts. It’s a model that’s been emulated by countless club owners around the country, who looked to Alan for advice as they furthered his goal of gaining more converts to his favorite pastime.
He was in many ways a founding figure, the John Adams-like architect and consummate insider of the modern global tennis landscape. Alan became involved with the United States Tennis Association in the 1970s, joined its board in the 1990s and served as president in 2003-04. It was newly minted President Schwartz who penned the USTA’s simple, elegant and powerfully enduring mission statement—“To promote and develop the growth of tennis”—which remains a guiding light to all of us who work in any aspect of the tennis industry.Alan’s leadership gave us the National Tennis Rating Program and the US Open Series. He contributed many years of stewardship to the International Tennis Federation, at one point serving as vice president. What may be less known is that he was an accomplished tennis player in his own right. Alan won championships as a player in high school and at Yale, and is a member of several Halls of Fame, including the Intercollegiate Tennis Hall of Fame as well as the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
Above all, like Adams, Alan was a man of importance and the utmost integrity. I can also tell you that without him Tennis Channel simply wouldn’t be what it is today. I’ll never forget being given his name nearly two decades ago to vet the viability and potential of the network. I had nervously hoped to get 10-15 minutes of the famed USTA president’s time to discuss taking over the nascent Tennis Channel with the goal of growing it into a worthy media powerhouse for the good of the game, and if this far-fetched notion could even be possible. One-and-a-half hours later, I went from wondering if it was worth doing to realizing that I had to do it. As only he could, Alan ended up recruiting me, and I'm not sure which of us was more excited by the prospect. Alan later joined Tennis Channel as our sole new board member, and his wisdom, enthusiasm and unending contributions simply cannot be overstated.Alan's Midtown Tennis Club, what Nick began has of course expanded far beyond tennis. Today the academy has programs based on Nick's philosophy for a multitude of sports, and places thousands of young people in college every year. Prolific until the very end, Nick wrote books and offered his learnings on every platform available, from television and very early on digital, to the animated anecdotes of Nick. These including sharing curriculums free to coaches everywhere and extending his reach to millions who would never set foot on his campus.
Nick was also a major part of Tennis Channel’s success, beginning as soon as I arrived. More than his appearances on our network, he genuinely rooted for and supported the channel as a vehicle for spreading the gospel of the game he loved so much. He thought of us as kindred spirits, two institutions that made something special to help grow the game on our own.
He always called, and texted (and texted…), imploring us to think about what we do from the point of view of the average player, the real fan at home. Nick wanted everyone to love tennis and his brain was committed 24/7 to achieving that, from folks like you and me to hundreds of the greatest players of all time. In this fashion he lived up to the true definition of the word teacher, showing us a new way to embrace the sport he adored.
