“There’ll never be anyone who can do it like me. Never.” Truer words have never been spoken. And now, they have silently scripted themselves as a legacy left behind by one of tennis’ finest assets. Robert Lansdorp, the legendary and iconic tennis instructor, has sadly passed away at age 85. The former American coach was notably responsible for the accession and the force behind tennis greats – including Maria Sharapova, Tracy Austin, Lindsay Davenport, and Pete Sampras. In the wake of his demise, fans and the tennis community have united to tribute to the longstanding coaching sensation.

Finessing the sport with his charismatic coaching techniques, Lansdorp helped curate some of the top talents in tennis. Players, including Sharapova, Austin, Davenport, and Sampras, were all led to the World No. 1 spot with his assistance. Furthermore, three of these four superstars were inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame, with Russian Sharapova in line for the honor next year. Notably, the five-time Grand Slam champion had name-dropped Lansdorp in her autobiography, paying homage to his unorthodox methodology.

“There was a point to all that torture. Everything was done in the service of philosophy; every drill had a reason, was taking the player somewhere,” read Sharapova’s autobiography, ‘Unstoppable: My Life So Far’. But that’s not all there is to the late coach’s legacy, one worth envy, if I might add. According to Lansdorp’s estimation, he coached well over 20 players who produced immaculate results both on the ATP and WTA Tour respectively.

Subsequently, these professionals also claimed their respective positions under the Top 50 – with his students including Brian Teacher, Eliot Teltscher, Robert Van’t Hof, John Austin, Michael Joyce, Jeff Tarango, Derrick Rostagno, Justin Gimelstob, Eric Amend, Anastasia Myskina, Kimberly Po, Stephanie Rehe, Alexandra Stevenson, Anna Marie Fernandez and Melissa Gurney. With his years of guidance on several players highlighted, it is also worth noting Lansdorp had a unique way with the sport. These, in turn, were recognized by many, including Tracy Austin.

Tracy Austin and Pete Sampras saluted Robert Lansdorp’s exceptional groundstroke tuning skills

A groundstroke architect. That’s the appropriate term to laud Robert Lansdorp’s stronghold and niches in the sport. Flaunting his expertise on deep arch-like forehands, the late American coach aimed to perfect his disciples’ groundstrokes. He wasn’t afraid to speak his mind either. As he once propounded, his impeccable techniques might earn them a college scholarship, but they “won’t make you a champion.” Furthermore, Lansdorp’s eccentric recipe also worked miracles for Tracy Austin and Pete Sampras.

Two-time US Open champion Austin noted how “Robert was a big part of my success. You know he’s going to make you tougher, to make you stronger, to make you mentally tough.” Austin further notified that Lansdorp was “the best coach to teach groundstrokes in the history of the game.” With his masterful ability to feed balls with diverse delivery, Sampras was able to fine-tune his shot-making capabilities. “Robert taught me to hit properly,” said the former World No. 1 American.

A relentless and dedicated coach on the court, while serving as a father figure to someone like Lindsay Davenport, Lansdorp possessed it all. Dedicating years to tennis and several players, the sport graciously thanks the American coach for his years of guidance and charisma. He will be missed, after all, there can never be another Robert Lansdorp.