Interview with Roberto Manenti, coach of Lithuanian Grigelis
Saturday, October 24, 2009
We interviewed Roberto Manenti, coaches of one of the most 'big promises tennis world that is emerging on the ATP circuit, the eighteen year old Lithuanian Laurynas Grigelis, number 600 of the world.
I am in the company of Roberto Manenti, one of the new emerging landscape Italian coaches, coach of the new rising star of tennis Lithuanian, Laurynas Grigelis, a class 1991, the name of which many of the experts predict a bright future.
Q: Hello Robert, is a pleasure to welcome you in our address book, if you want to introduce you to our audience?
R: Thank you for the opportunity to grant me, your site really done very well, I follow and I appreciate that and it is a pleasure to be here today. I am a national teacher fit and technical manager based in the Future Talent Brusaporto, a village in Bergamo, a new reality in terms of growth of boys at a competitive level. We have a highly qualified technical staff, two athletic trainers, Stelio Conti and Dragoljub Kladarin, and two major coach William Rota and Beppe Menga.
Q: We begin to talk about Project Grigelis, in which players believe blindly?
A: The project Grigelis was born in 2008, we started working for about three months, purely on the technical side, especially caring service and right, blows where it can still improve a lot, while playing a good backhand Biman that really hurts. Then we worked very athletic, do not forget that it is a class 91. Then we did a test in Dubai, making him play the futures $ 10,000, to get feedback. This test while at the technical level has given us positive feedback, both mental difficulties are highlighted to address match. The next step was to work with a psychologist, in fact, from January to March we cared for meticulously 's appearance. Later, we started to make a programming targeted to areas faster, because the Lithuanian is certainly not the classic terraiolo, but it expresses very well on hard courts. We started playing three tournaments in Spain, then we moved to England, where we did try out the grass and then a trip by three U.S. futures and challengers, unfortunately not very good from a technical point, because of weather conditions quite difficult, due to high humidity, although the last tournament challenger took home six ATP points, making him go up exponentially in the standings.
During these trips, was followed and accompanied by Coach William Rota, who has done a superb job. For his birthday, we made a nice gift, wild card in Manerbio due to good relations with the tournament director Saldini, defeated Vagnozzi suffered by a regular 6-4. Indeed, the Ascoli player on this surface is a tough player to face, being a terraiolo doc, however, has not forfeited Grigelis playing a fair match. Finally in September the first joy, triumph futures F13 against David Rice 6-2 6-3. While in Belarus and is now playing at the end of this trip, we will begin with four months of hard preparation for the new season 2010. We should begin in March 2010, in Bergamo Challenger, which we prize tournament.
Q: Lately, the trend for young players is to go abroad to train in the Spanish and American Academy ... ...
A: It's true in Spain have proven systems, you just think that have fifteen top 100, impressive numbers, here we unfortunately everyone works in its field and is a sin, even if something is changing. Certainly, we can now expect to achieve similar results immediately, it will take much time and effort, I believe the future of both academies like ours that works thanks to investments from private sponsors, who believe in our work, some will also be important results, and this will only encourage us to always give my best. The Fit might if there were major Italian players in these academies, to recognize the contributions, we hope that in future it will. Regarding Grigelis, the Lithuanian federation does not help us, he in this period is the number two, but unfortunately not enough to support the player.
Q: Grigelis has eighteen years, you have thought of his program over the next three years?
A: Our goal is very simple, within twenty-one years' we would bring him around to the position 250, then in the next biennium, attack the top 100, that target is in the possibilities of our players. We believe strongly in this project, the player also, fingers crossed.
Q: It's nice to see so much enthusiasm around a project and a player, I hope you can as a team to get the goals that you set.
A: Hopefully, hopefully because we are working hard and it would be important to have positive feedback. And I also take this opportunity to thank you all of the site and all the fans who love this sport, a heartfelt thanks.
Antonello Zani