From the qualifiers (avoided) to the wild card in the main draw, from the possible match against Matteo Berrettini to the challenge (won) against Wolf. Stefano Napolitano is in the second round of the Internazionali BNL d’Italia for the first time in his career. And he is undoubtedly in the best moment of his sporting history, at 29 years old, with a past made up of many complicated years due to physical problems that have affected him for a long time. Today the Piedmontese is enjoying an important victory, more than those points that it guarantees him and which bring him closer to the top 100.
“Receiving a wild card for the qualifiers was not a disappointment – underlines Stefano – but it is clear that when you are projected into the main draw you feel a greater responsibility. That’s why I’m happy with how I played and how I feel. Especially thinking about where I was a year ago: 12 months have passed but there have been many things in between. I’m proud to be able to pick up the thread. I’m just sorry I wasn’t able to play with Matteo, it would have been a great experience for me.”
The most complex challenges, for Stefano, were those posed by his body. “It’s no secret that my staff, and in particular Flavio Di Giorgio at Magnitudo Training in Verona, is one of the reasons why I’m still here playing tennis, despite all the difficulties I’ve had. I owe it to this team to be able to have this second chance at a high levelgiven that when I started working with them my conditions were decidedly worse.”
Between the joy and the (relative) surprise of this second round at the Foro Italico, there is also a substantial innovation compared to the recent past: “Technically, for now I’m doing it alone. A few days ago we ended the collaboration with Giacomo Oradini, which has been very important in the last year anyway. We are also friends with Jack, there was an excellent relationship but I felt the need to go further. Obviously I have to thank him because he has been fundamental in the path of the last few months, to get me to where I am today. I am also aware of having to integrate my staff with a person who can give me a hand from a technical point of view, we will see in the future”.
Meanwhile, Napolitano is enjoying Rome, a tournament that cannot be compared to anything else on the circuit. “A year ago, even just to play the pre-qualifiers I had done everything. But honestly, I would even play in a third category tournament in Rome, such is the charm of this place. A year ago I was registered in Monastir in an ITF tournament, but I am realistic: a year is not enough to be able to reach and maintain a top 100 level. This is something that must stabilize over time, especially after four very long years. difficult. I see this one in Rome as a wonderful parenthesis but the work is still very long and complex.”
Stefano was the last one of the quartet with Quinzi, Baldi and Donati to compete in the pro circuit. An unfortunate generation, in which the Piedmontese could represent the pleasant exception. “Everyone has their own path. I don’t want to compare my story with that of others because everyone, if they gave up, had their own good reason for doing so. I don’t feel like a survivor, I feel like someone who has made difficult decisions at times, trying to keep the hope of building something alive.”
