Look inside a $3 million home for sale on a Florida island. A tennis great built it

James A. Jones Jr.
·4 min read

A Florida home once owned by tennis coaching great Nick Bollettieri has gone on the market for $2.95 million.

Bollettieri built the five-bedroom, five-bath home at 78 Tidy Island Blvd. in 1984 and sold it in 1988. The tennis legend, who died in December 2022, rose to fame by founding the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy in 1978 and developing many No. 1 ranked players.

Among them were Andre Agassi, Boris Becker, Jim Courier, Martina Hingis, Jelena Jankovic, Marcelo Rios, Monica Seles, Maria Sharapova, Serena Williams and Venus Williams.

“This residence seamlessly combines two oversized condos into an expansive grand bayfront home with 6,900 square feet of living space. Renowned for training some of tennis’ biggest stars, Bollettieri created this commanding residence for his family, long-term guests and rising star students,” the real estate listing says.

The waterfront home boasts impressive views of Sarasota Bay. Tidy Island is south of Cortez Road and west of 53rd Avenue West.

“The cantilevered Florida Room, suspended over the pool brings 180-degree views of Sarasota Bay from Longboat Key to downtown Sarasota,” the listing says.

See photos of former Bollettieri condo

“Presenting itself as Manatee County’s largest condominium, this opulent residence stands as a testament to unrivaled ambition and visionary design,” the listing says.

Take a look at pictures of the extravagant home, which features a dual-sided fireplace, a theater room, a private elevator and more:

A Tidy Island home once owned by tennis coaching great Nick Bollettieri has gone on the market for $2.95 million. Bollettieri built the five-bedroom, five-bath home at 78 Tidy Island Blvd. in 1984 and sold it in 1988. RE/MAX Alliance Group photo
A Tidy Island home once owned by tennis coaching great Nick Bollettieri has gone on the market for $2.95 million. Bollettieri built the five-bedroom, five-bath home at 78 Tidy Island Blvd. in 1984 and sold it in 1988. RE/MAX Alliance Group photo
A Tidy Island home once owned by tennis coaching great Nick Bollettieri has gone on the market for $2.95 million. Bollettieri built the five-bedroom, five-bath home at 78 Tidy Island Blvd. in 1984 and sold it in 1988. RE/MAX Alliance Group photo
A Tidy Island home once owned by tennis coaching great Nick Bollettieri has gone on the market for $2.95 million. Bollettieri built the five-bedroom, five-bath home at 78 Tidy Island Blvd. in 1984 and sold it in 1988. RE/MAX Alliance Group photo
A Tidy Island home once owned by tennis coaching great Nick Bollettieri has gone on the market for $2.95 million. Bollettieri built the five-bedroom, five-bath home at 78 Tidy Island Blvd. in 1984 and sold it in 1988. RE/MAX Alliance Group
A Tidy Island home once owned by tennis coaching great Nick Bollettieri has gone on the market for $2.95 million. Bollettieri built the five-bedroom, five-bath home at 78 Tidy Island Blvd. in 1984 and sold it in 1988. RE/MAX Alliance Group
A Tidy Island home once owned by tennis coaching great Nick Bollettieri has gone on the market for $2.95 million. Bollettieri built the five-bedroom, five-bath home at 78 Tidy Island Blvd. in 1984 and sold it in 1988. RE/MAX Alliance Group photo
A Tidy Island home once owned by tennis coaching great Nick Bollettieri has gone on the market for $2.95 million. Bollettieri built the five-bedroom, five-bath home at 78 Tidy Island Blvd. in 1984 and sold it in 1988. RE/MAX Alliance Group photo
A Tidy Island home once owned by tennis coaching great Nick Bollettieri has gone on the market for $2.95 million. Bollettieri built the five-bedroom, five-bath home at 78 Tidy Island Blvd. in 1984 and sold it in 1988. Courtesy of RE/MAX Alliance Group
A Tidy Island home once owned by tennis coaching great Nick Bollettieri has gone on the market for $2.95 million. Bollettieri built the five-bedroom, five-bath home at 78 Tidy Island Blvd. in 1984 and sold it in 1988. Courtesy of RE/MAX Alliance Group
A Tidy Island home once owned by tennis coaching great Nick Bollettieri has gone on the market for $2.95 million. Bollettieri built the five-bedroom, five-bath home at 78 Tidy Island Blvd. in 1984 and sold it in 1988. Courtesy of RE/MAX Alliance Group
A Tidy Island home once owned by tennis coaching great Nick Bollettieri has gone on the market for $2.95 million. Bollettieri built the five-bedroom, five-bath home at 78 Tidy Island Blvd. in 1984 and sold it in 1988. Courtesy of RE/MAX Alliance Group
A Tidy Island home once owned by tennis coaching great Nick Bollettieri has gone on the market for $2.95 million. Bollettieri built the five-bedroom, five-bath home at 78 Tidy Island Blvd. in 1984 and sold it in 1988. Courtesy of RE/MAX Alliance Group
A Tidy Island home once owned by tennis coaching great Nick Bollettieri has gone on the market for $2.95 million. Bollettieri built the five-bedroom, five-bath home at 78 Tidy Island Blvd. in 1984 and sold it in 1988. Courtesy of RE/MAX Alliance Group
A Tidy Island home once owned by tennis coaching great Nick Bollettieri has gone on the market for $2.95 million. Bollettieri built the five-bedroom, five-bath home at 78 Tidy Island Blvd. in 1984 and sold it in 1988. Courtesy of RE/MAX Alliance Group
A Tidy Island home once owned by tennis coaching great Nick Bollettieri has gone on the market for $2.95 million. Bollettieri built the five-bedroom, five-bath home at 78 Tidy Island Blvd. in 1984 and sold it in 1988. Courtesy of RE/MAX Alliance Group

Bollettieri, who died at age 91, never stopped coaching until his final days.

In 2021, he was working on bringing back a program from the past to help inner-city children learn tennis.

“In the late 1980s, I am sitting on a bench at the French Open and this man says, ‘Nick, what are we going to do about the thousands of boys and girls that will never get a chance to hit a ball or play sports?’ That man was Arthur Ashe, my friend. I started the Ashe-Bolliterri program with Bob Davis being the director in Newark, N.J., and we ran that program for 13 years,” Bollettieri told the Bradenton Herald in a 2021 interview.

Through the Nick Bollettieri Family Foundation, Bollettieri brought the Bollettieri Tennis & Learning program to Team Success, an A-rated school serving some of Bradenton’s poorest neighborhoods.

Bollettieri’s legacy lives on through IMG Academy.

For more information about Bollettieri’s former Tidy Island home, call (941) 758-7777 or visit the real estate listing.

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