While at the Italian Open in Rome with ASICS, I sat down with Luciano Darderi for this mini episode of the Functional Tennis Podcast.
Luciano talks about growing up between Argentina and Italy, being coached by his dad, and the sacrifices his family made to help him chase professional tennis. He also shares what changed as he climbed the rankings, what separates the very best players from the rest, and what it feels like practising and competing against players like Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz.
We also chat about his move to becoming an official ASICS athlete after previously buying and wearing their shoes himself, and how a pair of ASICS shoes helped him through a difficult foot injury period before his breakthrough on tour.
A short episode, but packed with insight into life at the top level of tennis.
