Penn men's tennis junior Manfredi Graziani isn’t at Penn to play — he is here to win.
“My first impression of him was that he was a super fiery competitor,” coach Rich Bonfiglio said. “He brought a lot of emotion and just fired it up on court.”
Graziani’s tennis career began at age four in Italy, and later in Switzerland. He played on the junior circuit until coming to Penn in the fall of 2022.
His freshman season actually overlapped with the senior season of his brother, who was an Ivy League Player of the Year, three-time first-team All-Ivy, and a two-time NCAA tournament qualifier.
“Having my brother here definitely made my decision easier for where I wanted to play in college,” Graziani said. “So when I got offered a spot, it was hard for me to say no.”
Graziani’s decision to compete for Penn and also study Accounting and Finance at Wharton has definitely led to much success for the program. During his freshman year, he led the team in wins with 16, only dropping three matches throughout the season. Graziani also ended Temple's nation-leading 16-match win streak that spring season. During his freshman and sophomore year, Graziani was named an ITA Scholar-Athlete.
Now as a junior, Graziani plays the top seeds in both singles and doubles and continues to be a reliable player for the Quakers.
“He was someone that we could always rely on for a point,” Bonfiglio said.
Earlier this season, Graziani reached 50 career singles wins. A couple of standout matches came against Yale and Harvard earlier in the season where he took down nationally ranked opponents. Bonfiglio told the DP in an interview that he’s expecting Graziani to enter the rankings himself any week now.
According to Graziani, the next goal is to qualify for NCAAs not only as an individual but also as a team. The team recorded a program record for most home wins after a sweep of Liberty and Wagner last weekend. Graziani notably won in singles at No.1 in two sets against Liberty that weekend. Looking ahead to senior year, Graziani also has his eye on an All-American title.
“He can be a top 50 player in college tennis,” Bonfiglio said. “And he definitely has the ability to make NCAA singles and doubles. He has lofty goals but he also has the ability to go after them.”
Graziani recognizes that he was always talented but credits Penn for helping him develop the skills necessary to succeed at the highest level.
“I’ve always been talented and a good competitor," Graziani said. “But Penn has helped me with consistency. I don’t think I achieved my full potential when I was younger because I was lazy, but the coaches here have pushed me and helped me succeed.”
Bonfiglio also recognized Graziani’s drive, crediting his ability to find and fix his mistakes while on the court.
“His tennis has obviously improved and he’s quite fitter than his freshman year,” Bonfiglio said. “That’s something he learned … He knew he wanted to play a very physical game. So he definitely pushes himself, especially in the gym and during speed drills.”
Graziani’s success this year has led him to consider possibly taking a year after graduation to play on the professional circuit.
Although he has yet to make up his mind, he has one more goal he’d like to achieve during his time at Penn.
“My brother was one of the best tennis players Penn has seen,” Graziani said. “So I’m trying to break a few of his records before I leave.”
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