Fiercely competitive coach Nick Bollettieri, now 86, reminisces about the glory days of his Florida tennis academy, which produced a series of champions unlikely ever to be equaled, including Andre Agassi, Jim Courier and Monica Seles. His players acknowledge Bollettieri’s greatness as a teacher while also attesting to the character flaws that propelled him through eight marriages, financial turmoil and broken bonds with some of his athletes.

No player meant more to Bollettieri than Andre Agassi, the kid from Las Vegas with astounding natural talent and an irrepressible rebel streak. Bollettieri molded Agassi into a champion, transforming him from a fearless teen with an ’80s mullet into the world’s number one player before their relationship fell apart. Love Means Zero traces that exhilarating and tumultuous arc with vintage highlights, frank critiques of Bollettieri’s obsessive will to win, and an emotional letter from Agassi to his mentor that achieves the minor miracle of melting the coach’s bluster and ego.

In competition for the Schlesinger Award.