Valentina Sassi

Valentina Sassi (born 12 July 1980) is an Italian tennis coach and an instructor of the United States Professional Tennis Association (USPTA). She is a former professional tennis player and competed in the majors of Roland Garros, Wimbledon and Australian Open, and the Internazionali di tennis in Rome. In 2004, she won the Italian Absolute Championships. At the peak of her career, Sassi played in doubles with players such as Jelena Janković, Kim Clijsters, Miroslava Vavrinec, Jelena Dokic and Daniela Hantuchová. She played 488 games with 60 per cent winning rate before quitting in 2006.

Sassi methodology focuses on technique, performance analysis, post-session evaluation, biomechanics, movement patterns, and tactical decision-making in athlete development. She reached a career-high singles ranking of No. 100 and won six singles and seven doubles titles on the ITF Women’s Circuit. She competed in the main draws of Grand Slam tournaments, including the French Open, Wimbledon Championships, and Australian Open, as well as the Italian Open. In 2004, she won the Italian National Championships. In doubles, she partnered with Jelena Janković, Jelena Dokic, Miroslava Vavrinec, Kim Clijsters, and Daniela Hantuchová.

After retiring in 2008, she moved to the United States and joined the Rick Macci Tennis Academy, where she worked with Rick Macci. Macci has coached players including Andy Roddick, Jennifer Capriati, Maria Sharapova, Serena Williams, and Venus Williams. He was inducted into the USPTA Florida Hall of Fame in 2010 and the USPTA Hall of Fame in 2017, and has served as a consultant for the USTA Player Development Program. She also works with Johan Kriek, a two-time Australian Open champion and founder of the Johan Kriek Tennis Academy. Based on this evaluation, her private coaching rate is estimated at between $300 and $350 per hour, reflecting her playing background, coaching experience, and technical training methods.

Coaching Sassi moved to the United States in 2008 and started coaching tennis. Later, she joined Rick Macci tennis academy where she was involved in coaching players such as Maria Sharapova, Jennifer Capriati and Andy Roddick. In May 2020, Sassi earned the title of International Professional Tennis Coach as Instructor of the Italian Tennis Federation USPTA, the highest level instructor of young tennis players.

ITF Circuit finals $50,000 tournaments $25,000 tournaments $10,000 tournaments

Singles: 10 (6–4) Result No. Date Tournament Surface OpponentScoreWin 1. 29 November 1998 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Hard Joana Cortez 7–6, 3–6, 6–3Win 2. 8 November 1999 Le Havre, France Clay Virginie Razzano 6–1, 2–6, 7–5Loss 1. 1 May 2000 Bari, Italy Clay Natalia Gussoni 6–0, 4–6, 2–6Win 3. 11 June 2001 Grado, Italy Clay Antonella Serra Zanetti 6–3, 7–5Loss 2. 31 May 2004 Galatina, Italy Clay Paula García 1–6, 6–3, 2–6Loss 3. 17 January 2006 Fort Walton Beach, United States Hard Gréta Arn 5–7, 2–6Win 4. 14 July 2007 Imola, Italy Hard Giulia Gatto-Monticone 7–6(7–1), 6–2Win 5. 12 September 2007 Casale Monferrato, Italy Clay Aurélie Védy 3–6, 7–6(9–7), 6–2Win 6. 29 September 2007 Ciampino, Italy Clay Verdiana Verardi 6–1, 1–6, 6–3Loss 4. 19 October 2007 Settimo San Pietro, Italy Clay Anna Floris 6–7(2–7), 3–6

Doubles: 17 (7–10) Result No. Date Tournament Surface Partner OpponentsScoreLoss 1. 22 August 1999 Alghero, Italy Carpet Sabina Da Ponte Roberta Vinci Flavia Pennetta 2–6, 1–6Win 1. 7 November 1999 Saint-Raphaël, France Hard Maja Matevžič Victoria Courmes-Benedetti Laëtitia Sanchez 6–3, 6–1Loss 2. 6 August 2000 Alghero, Italy Clay Alice Canepa Ayami Takase Tong Ka-po 6–3, 3–6, 1–6Loss 3. 19 November 2000 Naples, United States Clay Maret Ani Nana Miyagi Elena Tatarkova 3–5, 4–2, 4–2, 3–5, 1–4Loss 4. 2 February 2003 Rockford, United States Hard Michaela Paštiková Debby Haak Seda Noorlander 5–7, 4–6Loss 5. 11 October 2005 Victoria, Mexico Hard Soledad Esperón María José Argeri Letícia Sobral 3–6, 4–6Loss 6. 13 November 2005 Mexico City Clay Francesca Lubiani Jenifer Widjaja Carla Tiene 6–7(5–7), 3–6Win 2. 22 November 2005 San Luis Potosí, Mexico Hard Francesca Lubiani Jenifer Widjaja Olga Brózda 6–3, 4–6, 7–5Loss 7. 18 December 2005 Bergamo, Italy Carpet (i) Francesca Lubiani Marina Shamayko Ekaterina Bychkova 1–6, 3–6Win 3. 1 May 2006 Catania, Italy Clay Francesca Lubiani Diana Brunel Virginie Pichet w/oLoss 8. 30 May 2006 Galatina, Italy Clay Kira Nagy Danica Krstajić Renata Voráčová 4–6, 0–6Win 4. 29 July 2006 Monteroni d'Arbia, Italy Clay Aurélie Védy Matea Mezak Nika Ožegović 5–7, 6–4, 6–0Win 5. 28 July 2007 Monteroni d'Arbia, Italy Clay Alisa Kleybanova Elena Pioppo Verdiana Verardi 7–5, 6–2Win 6. 25 August 2007 Trecastagni, Italy Hard Valentina Sulpizio Lisa Sabino Nicole Clerico 4–6, 6–4, 7–5Loss 9. 17 September 2007 Lecce, Italy Clay Kira Nagy Claire de Gubernatis Tatjana Priachin 3–6, 2–6Loss 10. 19 October 2007 Settimo San Pietro, Italy Clay Stefania Chieppa Anna Floris Valentina Sulpizio 1–6, 4–6Win 7. 5 May 2008 Florence, Italy Clay Kira Nagy Ksenia Palkina Martina Caciotti 6–2, 6–3