Elected a few days ago as “Teacher of the Year” on the occasion of the Supertennis Awards, Gipo Arbino has embraced since the very beginning the projects of the I Tennis Foundation, and in particular Torino Tennis Talents. Absolute protagonist of Lorenzo Sonego’s extraordinary story, Gipo is not and will never be a person who likes to look back: for him there are always new things to learn, to teach and therefore new goals to achieve. It is also for this reason that he decided to share the mission of the I Tennis Foundation and create a project that would concretely help those young talents who do not have great successes as juniors but have enough tennis and determination to attempt the same climb as “his” Lorenzo.
“I really believe in this project because Lorenzo was not a predestined player. He was a young boy who came here to the Sporting Club to try out to play in the SAT and he was 11 years old – analyses Gipo Arbino himself – He had the advantage that while playing football he had a great sense of rebounding and great technical skills, so he was obviously good at it. I am therefore convinced that the development of young kids at a young age gives more chances to create players”.
Do you see in the boys of the Torino Tennis Talents project characteristics that Lorenzo had at their age?
“I have to say that these kids are all quite different. They all have good coordination and technical skills, so they play well. They have a good Italian ranking, but as for Lorenzo I can’t make any predictions. I never thought Lorenzo could become a great player like he is now. I’ve always tried to do my job, to make him grow in the best possible way, training him and giving him all the possibilities to play well. Then of course every player has natural qualities that make the difference. The task of the coaches is to teach how to play well, and I focus a lot on the technical aspect but also on the mental and physical aspect. So, the job of each team of coaches – who are now really good everywhere – is to do the best they can to raise a kid who is technically and physically fit”.
How is the Torino Tennis Talents project structured?
“The boys who have been selected will continue to train with the staff of the Circolo della Stampa Sporting headed by technical director Fabio Colangelo, with whom I work exceptionally well: we exchange opinions, not only on the five of them but on all the boys. Obviously, I will have an eye on them, I will follow them and together with their teachers we will try to do the best to bring them to have a complete technical background and make a correct and effective tournament planning.
How much has the way of teaching tennis changed?
“Let’s say that having many years of experience, the bulk of what I was taught at the coaching school is still valid, but tennis has evolved a lot, it is much more physical, there is more information and there is much more collaboration between the coaches. The Federation works in an exceptional way and has helped us a lot, but I know that it helps everyone a lot by giving technical and working indications: when years ago I had other players with ATP or WTA points this information was missing. Now we are doing very well and there are clear ideas and I myself have really improved from what I was year to year. Let’s say that every two or three years there is a little jump in quality and in fact I keep learning. We’ve recently been training at Rafa Nadal’s academy and I’ve tried to compare myself as much as possible with a great player like Uncle Toni. You have to be like a sponge and always try to learn, to add knowledge so you can pass it on to the kids.
- Kids and Team at Forte Village Resort: an incredible week of growth with Damiano Fiorucci and Top Players from the ITF 25K tournaments!
- A summer of growth, International Tennis Europe tournaments, and first achievements for the New Little Tennis Champions!
- Alongside top coaches Tartarini and Arbino, the 12 new Little Tennis Champions from Italy, Albania, Kosovo, and Montenegro were presented in Turin!
- Little Tennis Champions 2025–2026 for Italy, Albania, Kosovo & Montenegro: the 12 scholarship winners have been announced!
- The second phase of selection for on-court trials in the four countries is underway! The names of those admitted