A Nevada man who was an avid tennis player collapsed and died while playing mixed doubles at Red Rock Country Club last week.
Ryan Vannah dropped to the ground while playing, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
Doctors tried to revive Vannah for almost an hour, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.
Vannah’s sister, Tami Vannah Kang, said he never appeared to have health problems besides high blood pressure.
“He took impeccable care of his health. He was so fit,” she said.
“He lifted weights. He looked like a bodybuilder to me. He was huge,” she added.
“We did not see this coming,” she said.
However, doctors believed he was on the wrong blood pressure drug.
No official cause of death was issued.
The Review-Journal reported:
Vannah was on the club’s teams in the 40-and-over and 18-and-over age groups last year when they won their second consecutive United States Tennis Association League championships.
“He was a big, giant teddy bear,” his sister said. “It only took him a minute to befriend even his opponents.”
Red Rock head pro Sean Hubbard said, “To see a friend go down like that, it’s definitely tough. For everyone in Las Vegas who played tennis with him, it was a really sad day.”
Fellow tennis player, Dan Michalski, said Vannah “was a friend to anyone. The whole tennis community is really shaken by this.”
He said the death was “a tough pill to swallow. Especially when he was so vibrant and full of life, such an integral part of the community.”
Vannah’s niece Payton Dunn posted on a memorial page for him:
“Uncle Ryan, I love you so much! You were the best uncle I could ask for. You were so kind and loving. You were always there for me and supported me in everything.
“I really hope I will see you again in the future because I really and truly don’t know what I’d do if I didn’t. I love you, Uncle Ryan!!”
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