‘Thoughts and Prayers to..’ – Devasted Chris Evert Pens Down a Soul Stirring Note on Iconic Tennis Coach’s Saddening Demise

The tennis world is deeply saddened by the demise of the legendary tennis coach, Andy Brandi. On February 8, 2024, he lost his battle with cancer and passed away at the age of 72 in Boca Raton. Brandi was a highly respected figure in the tennis world and was known for his coaching expertise. Several tennis stars including Chris Evert and Billie Jean King, have stepped in to pay their condolences to Andy Brandi.
This legendary coach has worked at the professional and collegiate levels for several decades leaving an indelible mark on the tennis world. During his tenure as a coach, he has managed to shape the lives of many tennis players.

Chris Evert says Andy Brandi was a ‘special man’
Andy Brandi was the head coach of the Women’s Tennis Team at the University of Florida from 1985-2001. During that period he led them to three national titles and finished up as a runners-up on five occasions. His .914 winning percentage (460-43), still remains the highest for a UF coach in school history. Under his direction, Florida won 14 Southeastern Conference regular season titles and 10 conference tournament crowns. Achievements are plenty in his career. He was a master of coaching in the tennis world.
Here’s what American tennis legend, Chris Evert had written on his sudden demise. She tweeted, “Andy Brandi was a special man and will be greatly missed. A master at teaching and coaching tennis. I learned so much from him when he coached at Evert Tennis Academy. Thoughts and prayers to his family…“

Andy Brandi was a special man and will be greatly missed. A master at teaching and coaching tennis; I learned so much from him when he coached at @EvertTennis Thoughts and prayers to his family…🙏

— Chris Evert (@ChrissieEvert) February 12, 2024

Billie Jean King pays a heartfelt tribute to the demise of the legendary tennis coach
“Another loss from the tennis world this past week. Former University of Florida women’s tennis coach Andy Brandi, whose teams had a .914 winning percentage over 17 seasons and who won 3 national championships, has passed away. May he rest in peace,” Billie Jean King wrote on X(formerly Twitter).
Lisa Raymond also shared the contributions of Brandi to her career. “He taught me about the work ethic and discipline it would take to be a champion. For other players — a lot of other players — how he did it did not work, but Andy saw things in me that I didn’t see in myself and everything for me took off. Once you earned Andy’s respect, you were golden with him,” said Lisa Raymond. Andy Brandi’s contributions are enormous to the tennis world and they will be cherished forever even after his death.

Brandi played a pivotal role in shaping Lisa Raymond’s career. She had won back-to-back national titles in 1992 and 1993 before going on to her successful run at her UF career. Andy Brandy took retirement in 2001, but he came out of his retirement 16 years later to help his son, Chris as co-head coach for the LSU from 2017-21.