Mike DePalmer Senior dies at 86
Now the tennis world has lost one of its most popular coaches. Mike DePalmer Senior died on Thursday January 9th at the age of 86. He was a trainer at the University of Tennessee for 14 years. Some of his notable players are Paul Annacone, Doug Flach and Chris Woodruff.
by Felix Lang
last edit:
Jan 12, 2020, 08:14 am
DePalmer was born in Westport, Connecticut. He only started playing tennis at the age of 20. He quickly became a successful coach. In the late 1970s, he partnered with Nick Bollettieri and founded the DePalmer Bollettieri tennis club in Bradenton, Florida, which eventually became the renowned Nick Bollettieri tennis academy.
From 1980, DePalmer focused on college tennis and began a 14-year career as head coach of the men's team at the University of Tennessee. His two children, who were also at the University of Tennessee, paid special attention to him and later became world-class players under him. His son Mike reached 35th place in the singles and 20th place in the doubles. Among other things, Mike worked with Boris Becker for six years.
DePalmer has always been valued for his knowledge and passion and was inducted into the Westport Sportsman Hall of Fame in 1991 and the Collegiate Tennis Hall of Fame in 1995. Tennis will miss a remarkable personality!