He was among the most important promises of Italian tennis, right before the golden era we are experiencing. She is an expert Kazakh player (of Russian origin) who is looking for a relaunch after reaching a best WTA ranking of number 27. Curiously, both are 29 years old, and last Sunday they understood that they were on the right path and could continue their partnership.
Matteo Donati could be the new rampant coach on the circuitand is undoubtedly contributing to the resurgence of Yulia Putintsevaa talented Fuman who has often stood out for his over the top attitudes, both in victories and in defeats.
Leaving aside the mental aspect for now, however, from a technical point of view the work of the Piedmontese Donati already seems to be bearing important fruits. So that in Birmingham the Kazakh took the 250 title on English grass, defeating former Miss Berrettini, Ajla Tomljanovic, in the final. The approach between Putintseva and Donati was anomalous to say the least, with an important role of social networks: “I saw on Instagram – explained the Eastern player – that Matteo had decided to end his pro career (it happened in October 2023, ed.) and so, considering that I had known him since the junior tournaments, I decided to contact him to see if he could give me a hand.” No sooner said than done.
Power of the Italian flag, which is now a guarantee in tennis at any level? Maybe also. But here there is the age component that plays a fundamental role, given that Matteo and Yulia grew up together while hoping to find a place in adult tennis.
She made it, even with ups and downs. Not really him, despite reaching a very honest number 159 ATP, year 2015. At that time, with a physique that still responded to the present, Matteo – who grew up under the guidance of Max Puci at the Match Ball in Bra (Cuneo) – really seemed like a great leap. A real player ready for the top. That year at the Masters 1000 in Rome he entered with a wild card, overcoming the Colombian Giraldo before losing in two sets to Tomas Berdych. For all the enthusiasts, in that era still lacking in phenomena, that result was enough to start dreaming. Then, however, a series of physical problems that would have knocked anyone out, eventually knocked him out too. That he tried to push the final decision further and further, until he understood that it was better to say enough.
Enough with the role of professional player (after three inconclusive surgeries in the last year of activity), but not enough with tennis. Indeed, Donati fits in very well as a coach, having had important guidance as a boy and having understood what is important to take care of along the way. With Yulia she is doing a job that is already paying off, given that the Kazakh has returned to win a WTA event after 3 years (Budapest 2021 the previous one), going back to 34 WTA. While at the beginning of the ‘Donati cure’ it was stranded around square number 70.
“Training – explained Matteo – also means understanding the needs of the students, the emotional part that hides behind the technical gesture”. Probably, with Yulia Putintseva the key was precisely this. It doesn’t mean that it’s enough to change the Kazakh’s character, but it could be enough to make her improve her best ranking, making her get to where she had never been before. More merits coming for Italian excellence.
