Tennis was the thread that ran through Bob’s whole American life. It was his first job in the United States, the business he built, and the game he passed down to his son.
Learning from champions
Soon after arriving in 1956, Bob worked as an assistant tennis professional under Jan Kozeluh in Charleston, West Virginia, and then under Doris Hart in Spring Lake, New Jersey. Hart had won every Grand Slam title there was to win, and training beside a champion of her class shaped how Bob played and taught the game.
The business of tennis
Bob taught tennis at the Atlantic Beach Club on Long Island, then spent three years as the tennis and squash representative for Wilson Sporting Goods across New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. He went on to co-found Century Sports, Inc. and ran it successfully for twenty-five years, serving the clubs and players he had known all his working life.
Coaching Richard
Bob’s proudest work on a tennis court was coaching his son Richard. He devoted countless hours to him, and under his father’s guidance Richard became a professional player, reaching an ATP doubles ranking in 1991 and the top 30 in Italy. Richard became a coach himself, passing on what his father taught him.
