Lorenzo Musetti and his sporting success

Talent can emerge anywhere but, in whatever corner of the Planet you find it, it is the care and devotion put into fostering it that determine where it will ultimately lead someone. What better example of this than the story of Lorenzo, born in 2002, who was able to grow from the seeds of his unique gift the foundation for a tremendous career that we are currently only witnessing the beginning of.

As a native of Carrara, Musetti was destined to become a lover of clay, the surface that, more than any other, appears perfect for bringing out his qualities on the court. Clay, the second oldest surface on the circuit behind the original grass lawns of England, dates back to the crumbled bricks that were used to form the early rectangular courts in which people played. And bricks, like stone, are a recurring theme in the story of the young Tuscan star.

This is reflected, first and foremost, by the exquisite white marble of Carrara exported all over the World, whose elegant veining almost evokes the fluid movement of Lorenzo who, with exceptionally natural flair, seizes every ounce of his potential when wielding a racket.

And in other aspects of his story that contribute as much as his talent to the sharing of good values and messages, which the young Italian star is living testament to. Having discovered a penchant for tennis when he was still a young boy, Musetti spent hours and hours of his childhood in his grandmother's basement hitting balls against a wall made, fittingly, of solid brick.

Few things can adequately convey the desire to succeed and the absolute determination of a young boy quite like imagining him hitting backhand and forehand volleys against a wall, knowing that every single shot will be fired back.

And yet, it is in that tenacity and true passion that lies the greatness of a dream that, from intermediate achievements in junior competitions, has propelled Musetti all the way to the top, marking his early entry into the elite of world tennis.

From the racket he began with — a gift from his father — to his triumph in the Junior Australian Open (the first Italian to win it), he has grown steadily and with great balance, benefiting from both the strong roots of his family, which is there for him without being overbearing, and from the close bond with his coach Simone Tartarini who discovered him and nurtured his sporting prowess.

The result is a young man with clear ideas and his feet planted firmly on the ground, who always manages to balance his tremendous (and healthy) ambitions with the humility that has set him apart from an early age. A shining star who has managed to make his own extraordinary gift seem normal through a simple yet magnificent approach to sport.