In this short episode from the Italian Open in Rome, I sit down with Mattia Bellucci for a quick chat about his journey from an average junior career to breaking into the ATP Top 100.

Mattia talks about growing up in Italy, being coached by his dad, why he decided to stop focusing on juniors and jump into Futures events early, and what changed once he started competing at ATP level. He also shares what it feels like playing in Rome in front of the Italian crowd and his move to becoming an official ASICS Tennis athlete this year after previously buying and wearing their shoes himself. Mattia now wears the Solution Speed FF 4 and explains why he made the switch from the Resolution line.

This episode was recorded while I was in Rome with ASICS, who brought me over for a few days around the tournament. I also recorded a short chat with Luciano Darderi, which will be live in the coming days.