Nick Bollettieri ran America’s most famous tennis academy near Tampa, Florida, producing multiple champions — including several who would become fierce rivals. Was Bollettieri a genius or a tyrant, a father figure or a huckster? There are no simple answers.

Filmmmaker Jason Kohn, a protégé of Errol Morris, delivers a complex and humorous exploration of the highs and lows of Bollettieri’s epic career. Built into the narrative of Love Means Zero are several of the gripping tennis matches that proved to be key turning points when Bollettieri’s loyalties shifted between his pupils. Jim Courier, Andre Agassi, and Boris Becker figure prominently in this tale. We also hear from former students-turned-champions Kathleen Horvath and Carling Bassett.

Bollettieri, now in his eighties, is notoriously unsentimental. But Kohn has a good-natured way of probing deeper to unwind this tale of ego, money, and competition to find the human core. This film is a grand slam winner.