To be a rising sport star it takes passion and drive. Effort has to be put in and sacrifices have to be made in order to make a name for yourself.
For Luciano Aglioti, a grade 11 student at Edenvale High School, the effort put in has been worth it.
“Before I played tennis I used to play golf. I enjoyed playing golf, but when I picked up the racquet and first started playing tennis I loved it from the start,” said the 16-year-old Luciano, who has been playing the sport for the past 10 years. Luciano said that he enjoys to watch his role model and tennis player Rafael Nadal on television.
“I enjoy what I do. When you do something you enjoy, you look forward to it. I wouldn’t trade the sport for anything,” said Luciano.
He said that he tries to get as much time on the court as possible and that he balances his sport with his schoolwork.
After the recent tennis tournaments, Luciano took four days off from tennis so that he could recover and focus on school.
“I did pretty well in the last keyhole tournaments,” said Luciano.
Luciano’s father, Mr Frank Aglioti said that his son recently showed promise at the two Tennis South Africa (TSA) events, finishing in the top 10 in both the men’s and under-18 divisions.
Luciano is currently ranked ranked 6th place in South Africa for his age group and 7th place in the Eastern Champs.
“I train between two and a half to three hours a day. It takes effort but I would say that I have a competitive nature, that I have a drive to improve and be the best at what I do,” said Luciano.
On July 21 Luciano was awarded full colours for tennis at his school.
After finishing high school Luciano is thinking of moving to the USA, where he has family, so that he can study overseas.
“I want to study business studies, and grow my tennis career while I’m there. Tennis is bigger overseas than in South Africa. It seems that the sport is starting to slow down in South Africa.”
“I am very proud of my son but sometimes it’s difficult, he has a very strict eating regiment” said Mr Aglioti.
“If there are people interested in the sport, they should pick up a racquet and try develop a love for the sport. Having fun is very important. You must enjoy what you do,” Luciano advised people interested in the sport.
