The trip to Rome for the graduation ceremony on the occasion of I Tennis Foundation’s Charity Night 2025, for the fellows of the Intesa Sanpaolo Assicurazioni Little Tennis Champions program was filled with many other unforgettable experiences that enriched their sporting and training journey.
From May 6 to 8, between Circolo Canottieri Aniene and Due Ponti Sporting Club, the last special training sessions of the year took place, under the guidance of the full technical staff and with the contribution of two prominent figures in Italian tennis: Gipo Arbino, Lorenzo Sonego’s historic coach, and Stefano Massari, Matteo Berrettini’s longtime mental coach.
To round out the experience, on May 5 the fellows participated in the talk “Resilience Under Uncertainty,” organized by Angelini Academy. On this occasion, Arbino and Massari used the metaphor of tennis to convey key concepts of resilience that are applicable not only to sports, but also to the business world and everyday life, and were sure to inspire the fellows.
There was no shortage of exciting moments in the international arena: the youngsters were treated to a surprise training session by Matteo Berrettini in preparation for the Internazionali BNL d’Italia, who trained at “his home,” the Aniene, a stone’s throw from the young scholars. The little tennis champions then watched the matches of the tournament, belonging to the Masters 1000 category at the Foro Italico, where they also had the opportunity to meet and chat with top-20 WTA Yulia Putintseva accompanied by her coach, former ATP Italian Matteo Donati, and especially with Slam champion Elena Rybakina. An opportunity and a privilege to be able to listen to the advice and learn as much as possible from the secrets of two tennis champions.
