Nicole Nobile. Interview with a rising star

The year 2019 opened a new chapter in the life of beach tennis player Nicole Nobile. After being a promising player for couple of years she actually turned into former top player. Let's get to know her a little bit better!


ABOUT THE WAY TO THE TOP:


How and when you started to play beach tennis? You played tennis before?


I did artistic gymnastic from the age of 3 and just at the age of 16 I started to play beach tennis during summer with my friends and my father, that is how I fell in love with beach tennis.

When I stopped gymnastic I started to take lessons during the winter as well and then I started to love this sport and to play all the year long.

When for the first time you realised you can be top player?


I’ve never thought about it, just always wanted to improve myself. Many times in the past I could win many difficult matches and this year (after a lot of years of training) this is finally happening.

What did you feel when Flaminia asked you to play together?


When I talked with Flaminia and we decided to start to play together I was happy for the big opportunity, but also a little bit scared. I took everything thinking to grow up and enjoying on the court because I think that if something has to happen, it will happen.


What was the first impression of playing together? Did you expect to win Rio and Canarians?


I remember that we played together a tournament in Rimini when I was young. That was the year when I was playing with Visani. We won the tournament and it was amazing for me.


This year our first tournament was Monopoli 10k, we lost in final against Cimatti/Gasparri but were happy despite the loss. It’s always difficult to find the right way to play good together especially in the beginning because we needed to get know better each other. In the beginning I felt a little bit pressured to play with a top player and every time I was going to play I wanted to show her and people that I can play with a top player.


This was my mistake and I understood it in Rio: I played free, without think too much, without pressure and finally we won the tournament. I think that in Rio and Gran Canaria we discovered the way to play together, we found the chemical to feel good and to help each other. And for me, after the final of Reunion (my first final in a important ITF) I was a bit used to play with a lot of people and felt comfortable.


I didn’t expect to win these two tournaments, I mean, for sure, I wanted to win. But I knew it could be difficult also because I don't have a lot of experience. In Rio we played three incredible matches. One of them was more than 3 hours long, we saved few match points and we played with everything (heart, head..) and this helped us to win.

In Gran Canaria the same. We managed to use the head in some important moment and we did it. It is incredible for me to think that I won these tournaments.


ABOUT PARTNERS:


Tell me about your partnership with Veronica Visani. Did you learn a lot? Why you stopped playing together?


With Veronica Visani it was very difficult at that moment. I think I was too young to play with a top player. Also I didn't play on the side I used to play. Normally I play on the right, and with Vero I changed to play on the left. On the court I felt a lot of pressure and I couldn’t play good. I think I wasn’t ready to play at this level but if I go back I would do it again. She taught me a lot of things and I think I grow up mentally, became stronger and this helped me to want to train more to become better one day.

And your partnership with Casadei. You showed great results, why the partnership broke? How did you manage to stay friends?


We were playing together for 2 years and I think that we grew up a lot together. We did a lot of great matches and results, like the victory in Gran Canaria last year. We played really good together also because we’re a good friends and it was easy to communicate on the court and to help each other. I think we never fight on the court and outside, and if this happened after 1 second everything was ok.


It wasn’t easy to broke this partnership but I think I couldn’t avoid the opportunity to play with Flaminia Daina. Veronica understood perfectly my choice because she knew this could help me to grow up and we continued to be friend like before. Also during this season when Flami can't play I play with Vero, because I know that with her I enjoy every time.

Do you think you became a better player after playing with Daina, Biglmaier, Hoarau and Diaz?


I’m 100% sure, that all my old partners or the partners "for a tournament" helped me to grow up. All the players are different in everything and I discovered that everyone gave me something.


At the beginning of the year I decided to play some tournaments around the world with different partners, very strong players like Mathilde Hoarau, Maraike Biglmaier and Patricia Diaz. I did this to earn experience and I knew that I could learn something from each of them.


They helped me to get better for sure. Me and my ‘granouille’ (Mathilde Hoarau) won two 10k in Thailand and one 3k in Reunion, I discovered a big warrior and an amazing friend, I have to thank her. Before I won the 6500 in South Africa with Maraike and lost the final of the 25000 with Patty, and I have to say thanks then for the great opportunity and for the time together. Then also my old partners for sure helped me and they teached me something: Alice Grandi, Giulia Curzi, Veronica Visani and Veronica Casadei, I was lucky to play with them.


ABOUT CAREER:

How do you train?


I train with Danny Cirella in Porto Fuori during the winter and in Marina di Ravenna during the summer. This year I don't go to university so I have a lot of time to spend training. I travel a lot but when I'm at home I train with Danny, I go to the gym and I train phisically on the sand with Luigi Pedrelli.


It can happen that I stay abroad for two or three weeks and in this case I try to play a lot of matches and to train in what I feel bad in that moment: Danny is my adviser also when I'm out of Italy, he watches my matches and tells me what can I do to improve. It also happened that I trained with the French players sometimes abroad and this was really nice, so I have also to say thanks to Jerome Maillot.

This year you will represent your country on the World Team Championship, when did you find this out?


We already know the team that will go to Moscow: me, Flaminia and Sofia. It will be my first experience with Italian team and I'm very happy about this. I'll try to do my best for the team. In Italy it's very difficult to go to play this tournament beacuse there are a lot of very good players and for me it has always been a dream. I can't explain what I felt when Simona Bonadonna called me to tell me that I was on the team. It was incredible!


ABOUT FAMILY:


Does your boyfriend support you? And you him?


For sure Theo supports me and I support him. I think that my way to play depends also on him. I feel so good outside of the court with him and consequently I feel perfect on the court. When I play I need his presence because when I look at him I feel calm. He wants me to win and I want the same for him. In this way we try to do everything to each other to feel good out of the court and on the court.


What if Italy will play against France at the WTC, are you ready to play mixed against Theo?


I'm ready for everything (laughing) I think that out of the court we can all be friends but on the court the friendship doesn't exist. I mean, I can play also against my boyfriend and for sure I want to win, of course respecting him. in Moscow it can happen that I play mixed double against him, it will be strange, for sure, but I'll do everything to win for Italy.


You post a lot of photos with you little brother. Does he want to be a beach tennis player?


My brother actually plays tennis during the winter and beach tennis during the summer. I want him to be happy, so if he will choose to play only beach tennis I'll do everything to help him to become a strong beach tennis player.


Photo: Ana Borba