Greek Olympian Saki Balafas, who went on to coach tennis to generations of inner-city kids in Miami, has died aged 91.
He retired just two years ago from his coaching roles, leaving a huge impression on his students.
While he was fantastic at his job, Mr Balafas was known to instill a lot of culture in his students, especially his passion for opera, in particular singer Maria Callas, a fellow Greek, and Dutch violinist André Rieu.
“I’m a giving person. I like to give,” he said in a 2006 Miami Herald profile. “If I teach you, I make you champion of the world.”
He was known for carrying rocks in his pockets to use them to trace outlines on the court for more optimal serving positions.
Balafas was on the Greek Olympics team for the 1948 Games in London and 1952 Games in Helsinki as a pole vaulter.
His tennis days came after he stopped to visit relatives in Miami and they convinced him to stay, eventually finding his way to Moore Park in Allapattah where he began coaching.
He met his wife Lois on the tennis courts.
“When I met him I could not run around the tennis court. He said, ‘Lois, if you are going to play tennis you have to run after the tennis ball.’ I started running and training. I was 47 when I started this and eventually I ran seven half-marathons and won tennis tournaments,” she said.
Source: Miami Herald