Is it something you can teach? You can direct it, but it’s difficult to teach as it’s on the inside. Some have it, others don’t.

Easy to spot a winner? It takes research. You have to look at a player’s family background and athletic inheritance. Are they smart and committed? What motivates them? Maria Sharapova, for example, doesn’t enjoy winning; she hates losing, which is a very different thing.

Ever wanted to be a player yourself? Only a football one, but I stopped after college.

Does success taste as sweet from the sidelines? Absolutely. There’s no wealth that can buy the inner satisfaction of knowing you’ve had an impact on someone’s life and helped to create who they are.

When did you first pick up a racket? Not until my junior year in college. Before that I thought tennis was for sissies. By senior year, I’d made the team. Then I joined the paratroopers and was out of action for two and a half years. After that, I went to law school and started coaching tennis on Miami beach to pay for my books. This was 1955 so I was getting $3 for half an hour.

Did the Army teach you to be tough on slackers? Yes, I learnt about discipline, responsibility and effort. This is now my creed.

So you run a tight ship . . . I have 700 students from all over the world trying to be the best, so I have to. They have to realise they are dedicating their lives to tennis; it’s similar to joining the Army.

You’re 74 this year . . . don’t the slippers and pipe appeal? No; they never will. I’m working on a book about what you can do after 55 if you remain curious about your life. Think of Mother Teresa working night and day at 85, or Colonel Sanders starting up Kentucky Fried Chicken at 67. No one has the right to be tired. You can change direction, but you should never give up.

How do you keep in shape? When I’m at the academy(the Nick Bollettieri Academy in Florida) I’m working out by 5am. I teach between 6am and 11am, then break for lunch. Teaching is more draining mentally than physically. I get very close to the students to observe their grips and swings, emotions and facial expressions, to see what’s going on behind their game.

Do you ever relax? I surf and ski, but I don’t stop. If I’m quiet, it’s a bad sign.

What’s your weakness? I enjoy a glass of white wine, but I’m pretty strict about everything else. My diet is lean on starch and desserts.

You formulated the killer forehand. Do you have to play mean to win? Not mean, but you have to play to win. Serena Williams said to me two years ago: “I’m sick of coming in second, I want to be top.” She went on to win the next five out of six grand slam events. If you’re happy to accept second place, you’ll never be a winner.

Does Tim Henman need the Bollettieri balls? The clock is ticking for him. But Tim plays the game to win and he’s a gentlemen, so I don’t think it’s fair to say that, although I would have loved to have worked with him. The British people have not helped: they’ve put so much pressure on him to be their saviour.

Can the mind win the match? The human mind is 90 per cent of the game of life. By achieving mastery over your thoughts, emotional and physical states can be influenced and performance can be maximised. That’s what life has taught me.

What about the other kind of belief? My wife and I try different churches every week. I was brought up a Catholic but I enjoy going to black churches — all that music and jamming — and finding out about the world’s religions. A belief in something is a must. If the spirit and morality is missing in someone’s life, that means there’s a void.

Juggling any other balls at the moment? My wife and I are starting a child obesity camp in Vermont next year to address one of the biggest concerns in the US today. Physical activity and a strict diet will be paramount.

Any tips for weekend players? Anticipation. If you know where the ball is going a split second sooner, your game will dramatically improve.

Is it the winning or the taking part that matters? You’ve got to win, baby.

Nick Bollettieri's new tennis centre opens at the Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman in October. For more information, www.residences-cayman.com

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