PATTAYA, Thailand
Pattaya Police are investigating the suspicious death of a former Thai national tennis player and current tennis coach after his body was found in a pool of blood appearing to have been stabbed to death inside his home in Pattaya this afternoon, with the victim’s brother saying a foreign tennis student had recently had a disagreement with the victim and was now being sought by police.
At around 3:00 p.m. on July 26th, 2026, Police Senior Sergeant Major Siriyaporn Khongphetsak, deputy investigation inspector at Nong Prue Police Station in Banglamung district, received a report of a deceased person at a residence in Moo 14. She notified her superiors and led a team to the scene, accompanied by Police Colonel Natthaphon Phongsukskul, superintendent of Nong Prue Police Station; Police Lieutenant Colonel Phongsavat Wongwan, deputy superintendent for investigations; an investigation unit; officers from the Chonburi Forensic Evidence Division 2; and volunteers from the Sawang Boriboon Thammasathan Pattaya Foundation.
The property is a single-story detached house of about 50 square wah located behind a large tennis court. Inside a bedroom, officers discovered the body of Natthawi Sukkhantharun, also known as “Nat-Mai,” aged 64. He was a former member of Thailand’s national tennis team in the senior and beach tennis categories, an executive at Pattaya Sport Inter Club, and a coach who trained several prominent Thai tennis players.
The body was found lying face-up on a bed, dressed in a pink crew-neck shirt, with blood covering the body. A severe wound was visible on the left elbow. Near the head of the bed lay a kitchen knife approximately one foot long, and a blanket covered the deceased. Authorities secured the area for forensic examination.
Initial inquiries revealed that relatives of the deceased, who live in Bangkok, had been unable to contact him. Staff from the tennis club were asked to check the residence. They found the door locked from the inside and used a spare key to enter, discovering the body on the bed.
Thanin Sukkhantharun, 81, the victim’s older brother, arrived at the scene from Bangkok in grief. He said that just two days earlier, his younger brother had telephoned him to discuss worries about problems with a former Lao tennis student. The student had previously left and later displayed aggressive and defiant behavior, despite having received significant support and care from the deceased. Natthawi had expressed concern over the situation, though it remains unclear whether the matter is linked to his death.
The deceased was also a close friend of Paradorn Srichaphan, a former world-ranked tennis player, and was widely respected in Thailand’s tennis community.
Police are continuing to examine evidence at the scene and plan to locate and question the former Lao student as part of the investigation. The cause of death has not yet been determined and awaits forensic examination and further inquiries before any legal action is taken.
For the original version of this article, please visit The Pattaya News.
