Commitment Profile
Pietro Rimondini Commits to the Big Red
by
Gary Curreri, 30 September 2015
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Boca Raton's Pietro Rimondini admits he has always had a "love-hate" relationship with tennis.
But next year, the talented 17-year-old Blue Chip senior at
Boca Prep International School will head to
Cornell University where he will continue his tennis career.
Rimondini, who is originally from Italy and moved to the United States when he was 10 for better tennis and educational opportunities, recently committed to the Big Red. He said he's not surprised that he is going to play college tennis at an Ivy League program.
"In my opinion," Rimondini said, "in whatever aspect of your life, when you put so much effort, time and dedication, it is very common to build up a love-hate relationship. No matter if it is related to tennis, school, or people - and tennis has been very time- and energy-consuming for me in these past years. I gave up to a lot of my social life for it. On the other hand, tennis has helped build me into the person that I am and that I like to be."
Rimondini got his start playing tennis at the age of four when he could barely hold a racquet in his hands.
"My parents introduced me to the game only due to the fact that my older sister played tennis as well," Rimondini said. "So it was convenient in a way."
He never realized that would lead to playing in college. He said his parents, Raoul Rimondini and Marina Colombo, steered him to the sport, despite him wanting to play team sports.
"I'm not going to say that I grew up as the biggest fan of the sport because that would be misleading," Rimondini said. "As a little kid, I was pushed by my parents to play tennis despite my dislike for it. I would have rather played a team sport like soccer. However, as I matured and became more experienced, I started to like the competition - and the fact that many aspects of the match depend on you.
