TEMPLE WOMEN'S TENNIS NEWSLETTER

Can you just bring us up to date on your life today?

"Sure, okay, this is a wonderful question and I think about it every day. Right now, I still live in Philadelphia, I haven't moved from Philly yet. I work in IT consulting, that's my full-time job. I started working in IT consulting after college, after my master's, so I've just been here for 4 years now. My company is called Tanbury Solutions. I mainly work with the sales team. Other than that, I work on the side with a very good tennis manager and agent. He used to be the manager of Fognini and Del Potro, and now we have Samsonova, Kudarmitova and some of the best young players. So it's super fun, and I get to stay in touch with the tennis environment. Other than that, nothing — I'm just a regular person having fun in Philly. Yeah, that's pretty much all I do right now."

How has your experience at Temple, shape you personally, as well as professionally?

"I had a blast at Temple. To give you a small background, I come from Italy, so I came to Philly in 2016. I didn't know any English, I had never been to America before, so it was a little scary. But honestly, I feel like because of Temple, I was able to get out of my comfort zone and take advantage of every single day. I really enjoyed the tennis program. I was super close with my coaches — they were amazing. They really made us feel at home, even being so far away from home, always focusing on our human side first, and then on our tennis side. That's very important, and it's not very common in athletic programs. So that was awesome. I had a lot of support from day one — from compliance, to equipment, to trainers as well. It was like a perfect scenario, especially for someone coming from a smaller reality, where you don't really know what college looks like and you have no idea about the infrastructure in America. It was shocking, but because of the surrounding energy, the positivity, the help, and the support, I had a blast and I really took advantage of every opportunity. Not just with tennis — because tennis was absolutely my number one commitment, and since I was getting so much, I felt I needed to give 100% every single day, no matter if I hadn't slept or didn't feel great. But also outside of that, all the professional opportunities, all the different experiences, the different groups you can join as an international student, in business school, SAC — I just felt like it was a whole journey, and it was amazing, full of opportunities. It's very important to take advantage of it."

Do you have specific favorite on-court memories, or specific favorite off-the-court memories that come to mind when you think about Temple?

Have you been able to stay in touch with any of your former teammates or coaches? I know there's been a coaching change and for you, you're a more recent graduate, but just to the current crop of players, any advice for them on how to maintain those relationships when graduating.

"I genuinely love staying in touch with people, so I think I'm very good at this. It's definitely a skill, not everyone has it, and I know people who are just not great at texting, and that's real. But at the end of the day, I believe that if you care about someone, it just becomes easy. I don't think there's a specific piece of advice for the girls or players on the team, it's really just about whether you feel a connection and care about someone. If you do, you genuinely want to stay in touch. Whenever you have a memory, instead of just thinking about it, just shoot a text and say, Hey, what's up, how are you doing? I feel like it's very important because at the end of the day, we're all human beings, and we all need each other. We all need help at some point, we all have our ups and downs, so it's important to check on people once in a while. When someone isn't doing well, you could be the next one who needs someone to check on you. I come from a very family-oriented culture, so it's naturally easy for me to stay in touch with people — but it's really just because I care and I want to. Some people don't really care, so they don't do it. It comes down to how you were raised and what your values and priorities are."

Do you still follow professional tennis today? Do you have any favorite players?

Oh, definitely. Following tennis has been something I've done my whole life. When I was a kid, I played pretty well, then I stopped for personal reasons, and eventually ended up coming to college. I started to feel that competitive drive again, so tennis became a big part of my life once more. Meanwhile, all my friends I used to play with as a kid became professional tennis players — Berrettini, Samsonova, Musetti — they're all people I grew up with. There was a time after I graduated when I started making some money at my job, and since I still live in America while my family is back home, I was often looking for ways to escape Philly and change the environment. I started connecting with my friends who were tennis players and going to watch them play in tournaments. One of the players, Samsonova, is actually one of my best friends — we were like sisters when we were young. She always gives me credentials, so for five years after college I was going to all the tournaments — all the Slams, all the Masters 1000. That's how I built relationships with some of the managers, and one of them asked me to start working with him on the side. So right now, I'm very much into professional tennis. I go to all the tournaments, I work with the athletes, I handle a lot of partnerships, sponsorships, and scouting. I went to the Orange Bowl in December, I'm going to the Miami Open, the US Open — lots of things. So tennis is still a very big part of my life. Unfortunately, actually playing tennis here in Philly is hard. I play with Samantha, who was on the team, and Volvo, who was also on the team, but in wintertime it's really difficult. In summer we can play a bit more, but it's just hard to coordinate everyone's schedules. As for favorite players — I'm a little biased since I have friends on tour. Roger Federer will forever be my favorite player. On the men's side, I'd also say Jannik, just because he's from Italy, but Roger was something else. On the women's side, my best friend, of course. And Jasmine is great too. I'm really biased because I know them personally, so of course I cheer for them. But there's no one right now I'd point to and say, that's my favorite player. Roger Federer was the one.

Any lessons that you would relay to current players? I mean, you've talked about it a little bit, but anything specific that you want to tell to players today that are currently playing at Temple?

I think the most important thing is to remember that tennis is absolutely very important while you're playing. You need to give 100% every single day, because what you're receiving is something you can't fully understand in the moment — you'll realize it later. Especially for those on a full ride, it's a lot, and it's a commitment, so there are no excuses. But at the same time, you need to always remember to get outside your comfort zone. Being tired from practice is not an excuse to not put yourself out there. I feel like college is where you really form your personality and build your confidence. Go to all the events — there are so many opportunities to literally build your future. Go to everything that Resnick recommends that no one considers going to. Go, because you're just adding credibility, personality, skills, and value to yourself, and it will pay off later. My biggest advice is: give 100% on the court, and don't use tennis as an excuse not to develop yourself outside of it. Take advantage of every day, because every day there is something. This is the beauty of America — the energy and the opportunities are unbelievable. Don't be lazy, because that's all it is — just being lazy. Be happy, smile, give 100%. Even when you think a 6am practice is something to dread, it isn't. You're going to realize later that it was an absolute privilege, and you should be grateful for it. And don't be afraid — don't be afraid to ask, to connect with people, to reach out. These four or five years of college are your years of freedom, your years of exploring, your years of believing in yourself. Just go out there and kill it.

Tennis teaches you so much. Not everyone will go pro after college — and that's okay — but whether you do or not, you need to give 100% on the court and start thinking about your future and yourself. No excuses, no laziness. There are people who wake up at four in the morning, work two jobs, and still do everything with a smile. Appreciate everything in life. Get out there, get out of your comfort zone, and go kill it. That's it."