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In a feel-good story coming out of Betoota’s Flightpath District today, a local tennis dad has managed to make it to the very end of the season without threatening the life of any chair umpires.
Dennis Nikolic, the 44-year-old father and coach of his young daughter Anna has had a chequered past.
Like many other tennis dads, his emotions can at times get the best of him.
So that’s why his achievement’s this season are of such importance.
Even though there were some questionable calls, and one umpire even asked him to stop patrolling the fence behind the baseline barking instruction at his daughter, Nikolic managed to hold it together.
The father of one sat down with The Advocate today to talk us through the milestone.
“Holy overcooked salmon,” he said wiping his brow.
“That was hard,” he laughed.
“I really thought I was gonna threaten to break the fingers of that 14-year-old chair umpire after he made very bad call. But I held it together uh. Who says a leopard can’t change his spots.”
The umpire who was in charge of the final match of the season told us that he had his phone unlocked for the entirety of the play.
“Well, it’s something we haven’t seen for a long time. So I was just thinking, if he hasn’t blown his top so far this season, it was surely bound to happen today you know,” said the umpire.
“That’s why I was ready for him to try and make me eat a tennis ball after a made a call he didn’t agree with.”
“But, incredibly, he made it through, he was even on the phone during parts of the sets,” he said.
“A real sight to behold.”
