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by Prip An established member of the Ecuadorian Davis Cup team which beat Britain last season, Giovanni Lapentti might be better known as the brother of Nicolas Lapentti now, but should soon build a name for himself, with the proper help and guidance. Having perhaps grown up a little too fast physically, Giovanni will need some time to grow into his body. With fluid movement and smooth shots, Giovanni certainly has the moves for the game, but technically, his shots are still rather lacking. His most technically sound shot at the moment is his serve, which can still be further developed into an even bigger weapon. Unfortunately, his game is more suited for a serve-and-volley style. Already a strapping lad at 18, the boy still has room to grow a couple more inches, and will have good reach at the net. A definite weakness is his movement. Not only is he not very fast, he needs to both work on his footwork as well as footspeed. Drills with changes of direction and bursts of speed will remedy that soon enough. Hopefully, as soon as he feels comfortable with his body, his movements will feel a little less awkward and perhaps his movement will improve. In any case, the boy certainly could certainly have a decent tennis career, and simply needs the proper tutelage to harness his potential. |