Mattia Bellucci is determined to become the latest member of Italy’s remarkable generation of men’s tennis stars.
Fabio Fognini and Matteo Berrettini broke new ground for their country by winning a Masters 1000 title and reaching a Grand Slam final, respectively.
But Jannik Sinner is the standard-bearer for a nation that typically prioritizes football over any other sport.
The 24-year-old has four Grand Slams and counting, but behind him, compatriots such as 2026 Roland Garros finalist Flavio Cobolli, former world No 4 Lorenzo Musetti, and French Open semi-finalist Matteo Arnaldi are making waves, too.
They are part of a crop of exciting Italians, all of whom are 25 and under. And Bellucci, who has a career-high of 63, is aiming to join them higher up the rankings.
More Tennis365 exclusives
Wimbledon: Can Jannik Sinner avoid another heat struggle? Former Liverpool nutritionist explains the science
‘Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz raised the level – but players are not as consistent now’
Want more from Tennis365? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list for tennis coverage you can trust.
In an increasingly physical sport, where baseline and power tennis rule the roost, the 5ft 9in Bellucci offers something a little different.
A spinny forehand, a flat backhand, an excellent serve with a great deal of variation and knee bend, and a fondness for grass courts; the world No 67 is heading into Wimbledon high on confidence after impressive runs at Stuttgart and Halle.
And with his fellow Italians around him, the left-hander has a big source of inspiration.
He told Tennis365 at The Boodles exhibition, “Obviously, everyone has their own path, and that’s the nice thing about it because everyone has good teams behind them, but we’ve known each other for a long, long time.
“So it’s inspirational for me to see Arnaldi making semi-finals [of the French Open] or Jannik winning almost every week, along with Flavio [Cobolli] and Lorenzo [Musetti] in the last couple of seasons.
“They had some amazing results, and there are many others, but for me it’s a pleasure to be part of a good generation of [Italian] tennis and hopefully with my character and my tennis, I’m going to be a big tennis player and get even better in the next few years.”
While Musetti and Sinner made their ATP Tour breakthroughs as teenagers, Bellucci is taking the longer route to the top.
He admits that during his formative tennis years, he was too short-term orientated, rather than focusing on the bigger picture. That is no longer the case, however.
Bellucci said, “My mentality back then was just focusing on juniors and that was maybe a bit of a mistake, personally.
“Because when you are 12, you just want to win, so you don’t always learn on the court every day. And that is what Jannik did better than other players.
“So now, I am trying to invest in my tennis and not just think about winning. I’m not as young as when Jannik broke through and maybe when you are 15 or 16 it is easier.
“But at the same time, I’m feeling that every day is helping me on my journey, so I am happy about that.”
Bellucci, Sinner, and Musetti are all born within nine months of each other. And, in their junior years, they did battle on plenty of occasions.
So, did he see Sinner, in particular, winning Grand Slams and being world No 1 in the future?
“To be honest, no. Probably when you are 12 or 13, you don’t say ‘That guy is going to be very, very good’,” he said.
“I used to play with them [Sinner and Musetti] and I played with Cobolli as well. You know, since you’re all the same age, you get the chance to play with all of them.”
One weapon that will certainly stand Bellucci in good stead is his serve. Pound for pound, it is a force to be reckoned with.
So, how does he get such kick, whip and pace on it?
“I think I’ve always been quite explosive in terms of power and for my height, jumping a lot is quite a good advantage,” said Bellucci. “I remember working a lot on my serve with my dad when I was younger and trying to go as fast as I could.
“But my father used to tell me, ‘Watch out, maybe you’re going to get injured’, but I didn’t care that much and I was always going full power and I’ve always enjoyed serving.
“Also for me, starting the game with a big serve is such a big advantage. I think it has always been a big weapon for me and I’m always trying to improve it because I know that it’s a big weapon.
“But you need to adapt to different surfaces, so spins and different situations make it even more difficult to return, so I’m trying to do the best I can.”
Bellucci will hope he is serving lights out when he begins his Wimbledon campaign against Zachary Svajda on Tuesday.
WHAT NEXT? Carlos Alcaraz gets emotional as he posts injury update on eve of Wimbledon