Luca Bottazzi
Italian tennis player (born 1963)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Luca Bottazzi (born 1 April 1963) is a former professional tennis player from Italy.[1]
| Country (sports) |  Italy |
|---|---|
| Born | 1 April 1963 Milan, Italy |
| Height | 1.74 m (5 ft 8+1⁄2 in) |
| Plays | Right-handed |
| Prize money | $52,945 |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 5–14 |
| Career titles | 0 |
| Highest ranking | No. 133 (29 April 1985) |
| Grand Slam singles results | |
| French Open | 1R (1985) |
| Doubles | |
| Career record | 6–18 |
| Career titles | 0 |
| Highest ranking | No. 203 (13 May 1985) |
| Grand Slam doubles results | |
| French Open | 2R (1982) |
Career
Bottazzi was twice a quarter-finalist in the French Open boys' singles during his junior career, in both 1980 and 1981.[2] He reached the round of 16 in the US Open boys' singles in 1980 and in the Wimbledon boys' singles in 1981.[3]
When he returned to the French Open in 1982, it was in the men's draw, beside Raúl Viver in the doubles competition.[4] They defeated the Swedish combination of Anders Järryd and Hans Simonsson in the first round but were then beaten by Brad Guan and Derek Tarr.[4]
In 1984, he made the quarter-finals of the Palermo Grand Prix tournament, with wins over the world's 50th ranked player Blaine Willenborg and Argentina's Alejandro Ganzábal.[4]
The Italian was beaten by Marko Ostoja in the opening round of the 1985 French Open.[4]
After his tennis career, Bottazzi co-founded the Italian Tennis Research Association (RITA).[5] He developed new scientific methods to teach tennis to young pupils, that were presented at the ITF Tennis Science and Technology Congress in 2003.[6]
Bottazzi currently works as a tennis coach and television commentator for Eurosport and Sky Italia.
Challenger titles
Singles: (2)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 1984 | Tampere, Finland | Clay |  Peter Svensson |
6–2, 6–3 |
| 2. | 1987 | Nairobi, Kenya | Clay |  Paul Wekesa |
6–2, 7–6 |
Doubles: (1)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 1983 | Bari, Italy | Clay | Simone Colombo |
Mario Calautti Bruce Derlin |
6–2, 3–6, 6–3 |