Giacomo Volpicelli had a season that most freshmen can only dream about when he debuted on the high school tennis scene this spring. Giacomo, who played No. 1 singles for Haddam-Killingworth, dominated the Shoreline Conference and came away from the campaign as the league’s best player.

Giacomo has been on the court since he was three and started with competitive tournament play at age 7. For the Cougars this year, Giacomo earned a perfect regular season record and then took first place in the 1-2 singles bracket at the Shoreline Conference Tournament, becoming the first H-K freshman to claim a league title with an unblemished record, as he was 20-0 at the time. After that, Giacomo advanced to the quarterfinals of the Class S State Championship and also competed in the State Open Tournament on his way to an overall record of 23-2.

“I wanted to try and not lose. I set something new for the school, and I was excited when it happened. I tried hard throughout the season, I tried my best, and I did good,” says Giacomo, who defeated Old Saybrook senior Sabahadin Cecunjanin 6-4, 6-4 to take the conference title. “Before the Shoreline final, I knew it would be a tough match. I tried my best in front of my friends, because they wanted me to win. In the middle of the match, I was with him the entire way. It was a close match, I got frustrated towards the end, but I kept it together.”

While Giacomo wanted to advance further in the Class S draw, he left it all on the court on his way to making the Elite Eight. In the end, Giacomo feels fine about the way everything worked out this year, and his immediate success gives him an ever higher brass ring to reach for next season.

“I knew I could go far in states and tried my best to do that, but I was proud of myself for going that far. States was definitely a different experience for me,” Giacomo says. “For the State Open, only one in a few get to go, so I was happy about playing in it, and I know I can do even better next year.”

H-K Head Coach Rod Pakus says that Giacomo’s one match at the State Open will prove beneficial for years to come, as it was a chance for the freshman to compete among the best of the best in Connecticut.

“This was an invaluable opportunity and great experience for Giacomo to participate as a freshman,” says Pakus. “Having been able to participate gives him both experience and serves as a good lesson to teach him what he needs to improve to play at this level and to reach his personal goals in this sport. He took full advantage of his well-earned invitation. He played well.”

Giacomo says the fact that he competed in tournaments well before he entered middle school gave him the chance to see various styles of numerous players and learn from them. Giacomo has taken bits and pieces from those experiences to become the unique tennis player that he is today.

“My dad taught me tennis, and I gained a lot of experience. At seven, I played higher-level tournaments,” he says. “I also started playing with coaches, and playing against different people helped me learn a lot of things, and I followed from them.”

Moving forward, Giacomo has plenty of confidence following his resounding rookie year. Giacomo says that one of the most important components of his success this season was visualizing his goals before he went out and fulfilled them.

“I’m going to just try and keep my confidence up,” says Giacomo, who thanks his friends and his entire family. “I try to always think of myself as the best and picture myself as a champion. I just have to keep that mindset up all the time.”