Link to A holistic approach and mental preparation are at the heart of the Italian model that has taken Italy to the top of the worldA holistic approach and mental preparation are at the heart of the Italian model that has taken Italy to the top of the world
Camilla Dacrema: “Filippo, under your guidance, Italian tennis has become a world-class powerhouse: three consecutive Davis Cup victories—a historic record that highlights your role as the driving force behind Italy’s resurgence, alongside talents like Jannik Sinner, Matteo Berrettini, and Lorenzo Musetti. How did you manage to bridge the gap between the old guard of Italian tennis and today’s golden age?”
Filippo Volandri: “We started with the young players. There are few ‘number ones’—not just in terms of performance—but I’m firmly convinced that a person who feels good about themselves performs well. We had an insight—and here I’m speaking as director of the men’s division at the CPO (Olympic Training Center in Tirrenia)—ten years ago, we noticed that the young players arriving at the Center were, in a sense, somewhat ‘victims of their own minds.’ We created a psychology department dedicated to their personal well-being and made mental coaches available to support their performance. I believe this has greatly helped the system. If today we see a surge of great tennis players—but above all, well-rounded young people—I believe it all starts there. I’m convinced that tennis gives us a responsibility toward the younger generation: through sports, we have the opportunity to provide a certain kind of education and instill values. Our responsibility is to do so with full awareness of what we’re doing—that is, with professionals who specialize in this field. The young players we work with are between fifteen and sixteen years old. We provide them with a system that gives them the tools to grow not only technically but also personally: we help them become not only the best athletes they can be, but also the best young people they can be. I work with the boys, but for some time now this system has also been extended to the girls’ program, so we’re finally moving forward together.”
Camilla Dacrema: “It’s a wonderful job with a huge social impact, because in addition to its educational role, it also shapes the character of future champions. It occurs to me, Daniele, just how central a smile is in your medical work and at the Puzzilli Foundation. The holistic approach that Filippo embodies in tennis is reflected in your vision of holistic dentistry, through which you support athletes across various disciplines, creating a virtuous cycle between oral health, posture, and athletic performance. For you, too, is well-being a space for personal growth, connected to your values? The Puzzilli Foundation’s projects to combat violence and support the most vulnerable seem to suggest that, for you, a smile—more than just an outward expression—reveals what is most intimate, starting with the spiritual dimension.”
Daniele Puzzilli: “Thank you, Camilla; I really appreciate you bringing that up. A phrase that has guided my life comes from Mother Teresa of Calcutta: ‘A smile is the fruit of love.’ It’s a phrase that guides me in my work, in my private life, and also shapes the Foundation’s projects. I strongly believe that the two concepts—smile and love—are linked in a very close and visceral way.”
The holistic approach that Filippo honors me by following—and by sharing with me in our work—is finally beginning to spread a bit into various fields today. When I first paired the term “holistic” with “dentistry” twenty-five years ago, it seemed a bit like blasphemy, because at the time the term “holistic” was associated only with Eastern medicine and Ayurvedic massage—it was a very philosophical term, not a medical or scientific one. In reality, this term is deeply scientific because it connects worlds that are different from one another but that, in fact, must be united. As Filippo pointed out, the mental aspect and the sense of human fulfillment in sports are fundamental. When sports embody happiness expressed through a smile and the loving approach with which they’re practiced, they become an unbeatable force if supported by the mind as well. It’s all energy, which the mind knows how to interpret and channel. I don’t know if Filippo fully agrees with what I’ve said…”
Filippo Volandri: “I completely agree. It’s never just a single factor that determines an outcome; there are always many, many factors, so sometimes we have to step outside our usual mindset a bit to realize that there really is a different approach.”
Camilla Dacrema: “Has there ever been a time when an obstacle made things more difficult for you, perhaps leading you to doubt the method?”
Filippo Volandri: “Sure, it’s happened—it’s happened to all of us. I believe that in those moments, listening is generally important—listening to people, but also reaching out for help. Everything that’s been accomplished, both at the national level and in the technical sector, isn’t just the result of my work, but of the people who’ve been accompanying me on this journey for ten years now. So I believe that recognizing the problem and even just asking for help is part of overcoming any obstacle. We also have our guiding principles. Even on the Davis path, there have been complicated moments when you might question everything you’ve done because a system has changed or the structure has shifted. But in the end, it’s always the people—the ones you consider truly important—who stand by you and can help you overcome that kind of obstacle, or any doubts you might have along the way. For me, it’s important to know that the people you surround yourself with are the ones you can turn to for help—and the ones who help you overcome any kind of difficulty.”
Camilla Dacrema: “Your vision of a team, Filippo, conveys a sense of community. Our societies desperately need to feel like communities rather than places of conflict. We need to understand our resources and understand ourselves. That’s the mental aspect, which also comes into play when there’s an obstacle: Francesca, how important is emotional balance?”
Francesca Luchi: “I’d like to mention something here that we’ve already discussed with Daniele and Filippo as well. We’re talking about tennis, but—just like in so many other fields—mistakes are inevitable, aren’t they? The mistake is the obstacle. The technique you possess as an athlete tells you what to do in that moment, but mental preparation helps you do it differently. Mental preparation makes all the difference. Because, in reality, the best players aren’t the ones who make the fewest mistakes, but the ones who recover most quickly from them. So I’d say the challenge is working on the ability to get back to the present moment. I really liked what Sinner said when he remarked that pressure isn’t necessarily a bad thing. When an athlete reaches the point where they perceive pressure as a threat, psychological work is needed to help them transform it into a positive challenge. I really like that in today’s high-level tennis, there’s no longer a separation between the mind and technique: it’s wonderful because peak performance stems precisely from the integration of technical, physical, tactical, and—above all—psychological aspects. What do you think, Filippo?”
Filippo Volandri: “Yes, Francesca, I absolutely agree. Especially in a tennis world where everyone plays well, everyone is physically prepared, and everyone—in their own way—understands the rules of the game, the mental approach is what’s making the difference right now: the winner is whoever is mentally ready, especially when it comes to managing difficulties and pressure. Which, as Jannik says—and as we all believe—is a privilege. Being there in that moment is a privilege; otherwise, you haven’t earned the opportunity to improve yourself through a challenge, through a problem to solve, through a loss. And that, too, makes all the difference. We see the world’s number-one players winning 55–56% of the total points played in a season—they don’t win with 75%. Those 5–6 percentage points are always the crucial ones. Sometimes we see decisive results, but they come down to 5–6 points that the player handles differently. That’s it—how you handle the crucial moments is what makes the biggest difference today. Sinner is truly the world’s number one in this regard because he handles difficulties in a way I’ve rarely seen in my life.”
Francesca Luchi: “Mental preparation isn’t meant to make an athlete invulnerable because, as Sinner also said, we’re not machines! And thank goodness for that. We’re human beings. This is a wonderful message that reaches young people through the example set by a great champion. Mental preparation helps athletes become more self-aware and, as a result, more flexible—and thus better able to express their talent under pressure. By working in that direction, athletes can perform at their highest level.”
Filippo Volandri: “The more you train on this aspect, the less it takes a toll on you when the pressure comes. We know we can never ask an athlete to perform under those circumstances unless they’ve practiced and re-practiced it in a structured training program.”
Camilla Dacrema: “The extraordinary work Filippo has done with the Italian national team finds an exceptional successor in Jannik Sinner. Whether on the court or speaking with the media—when asked about a topic—Jannik Sinner is always ready. He has already formed his own opinion on the matter, whether it pertains to himself or to a more general issue.”
Filippo Volandri: “That’s true, because he’s used to having lightning-fast reflexes and a quick mind, and that’s one of the major ways he stands out from other players. For my part, I always have to make decisions for the team, and when Jannik is part of the team, he truly puts himself at the service of others—so much so that often, when I’m structuring the training schedule, round after round, he’s always the one who tells me, ‘Listen to the others first, then I’ll adjust accordingly.’ And that’s not something to be taken for granted. But regardless of that, the real point is to get the team used to performing as a team and not as individuals. We’ve won three Davis Cups with different key players each time precisely because the team had already gotten used to not having the world’s number one, two, three, four, or five at that moment. They’ve always functioned as a team: I’ve given each of them a role, and each one performs that role on the court. But there are many roles within the ten days of national team play that, I repeat, aren’t necessarily those of the players who take the court.”
Even in a friendly tournament, the spirit must be the same—obviously with a smile and a sense of self-deprecating humor about each other’s performances on the court.
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