At three years old, he picked up his first racket.

Now, freshman Manuel Catoni ranks No. 41 in Texas for the class of 2029. His father, who also serves as his coach, has guided him through every stage of his development.

“My dad motivated me to pick up tennis,” Catoni said. “I saw him playing it a lot, and he just kind of got me into the sport.”

Catoni and his father’s shared love for the sport helped strengthen their bond.

“I was able to go out on the courts and enjoy time with him,” Catoni said. “We made it kind of like a thing to go out and play, we would just hit, he would coach me and I would improve.”

Catoni’s father was able to see his son’s potential from the first time that he set foot on a tennis court.

“When he was three, I took him to a real tennis court [for] the first time. He was able to hit the ball over the net even though the net was taller than him,” Fausto Catoni said. “I think that he’s always been skilled. Although, being skilled doesn’t mean that you’re going to be successful. Because on top of the natural skills, the talent, you have to put in the work.”

Catoni has most certainly “put in the work,” practicing at a minimum of three hours a day on weekdays and competing in tournaments on most weekends. His teammate and close friend, Aditya Lavi, has seen how this hard work has translated into his performance on the court.

“No matter what happens in the first set, what happens in the second set, he’s always able to find a way to put himself in the right position,” Lavi said. “He’s able to focus at any time, always able to put his mind forward.”

Lavi and Catoni have known each other since middle school after meeting him at a USTA tennis tournament.

“My first impression of him was that he was very passionate,” Lavi said. “He could get a little frustrated at times, but if he won a point, you would know because you could hear it from two courts away.”

The two developed a friendship based on shared drive and competition.

“[We] push each other to our limits,” Lavi said. “With [Catoni] and I, it’s almost like we are trading cards — we both give each other advice and we keep those cards with us for the next time that we play so that we can use them.”

Much of the advice Catoni shares comes from his loving and supportive coaching relationship with his father, a relationship that is a source of pride for him.

“When people come up to me and ask me, ‘Who’s your coach?’ they expect me to say [an] academy,” Catoni said. “But I get to say, ‘My dad.’ It makes me feel proud of him and also proud of myself.”

With the challenges that come from having a personal and professional relationship, Catoni and his father have worked hard to keep both relationships strong.

“Between coach and player, it’s only on the court, but we’re always going to be father and son,” Catoni said. “It’s always going to be like that. The love is always there.”

Watching his father balance his own lessons with coaching others has been “inspirational” for Catoni.

“He works a lot, so it’s a privilege that he actually takes the time to play with me,” Catoni said. “It’s very cool that he coaches others the same way he coaches me.”

Catoni said his toughest match was his win over Arkansas’ No. 1 junior at a tournament in Dallas.

“It was a very intense three hour match,” Catoni said. “I was cramping, he was cramping. A lot of people came to stop by. We were actually the last people to finish in the draw for the first round. I had lost the second set tiebreaker and I just had to regroup and go in for the third set breaker.”

Catoni credits his win to his father, whose advice in between the second and third sets proved to be “integral.”

“He told me, ‘Think about what you work for. This match has already taken almost three hours, and you’ve been fighting for it all this time,’” Catoni said. “He told me that I just have to stay calm, stay composed and play consistent. Then I went out there and I won. I just dropped my racket, and I was kind of in awe. I looked at my dad and my mom, I was smiling and happy and I let out a roar.”

His father’s influence extends beyond the court. The lessons that he teaches also shapes his character, instilling in him values that can be translated into everyday life.

“He’s taught me a lot about discipline, sportsmanship and caring for people,” Catoni said. “Don’t care about what others say about you, be focused, be good, and just be yourself.”

For Catoni’s father, those lessons are what matter the most. To him, tennis mirrors life itself.

“Tennis is a very tough sport,” Fausto Catoni said. “A tennis match is like the life of a person. You get moments where everything goes well, but there are moments where you face adversity. You have to navigate through those tough times, because if you hang in there, things eventually turn around.”

The persistence his father taught him paid off this past summer, when Catoni learned that he had qualified for the boy’s 14 and under draw at the USTA National Championships. He had signed up for the tournament as the eighth alternate “not thinking much of it” and, while visiting family in Italy over the summer, he watched as he moved up the list.

“When I was at the first alternate spot with maybe a week or two left from the tournament. I was like, ‘dang, I’m actually gonna make it in,’” Catoni said. “The day I made it in I went up to my dad, hugged him and said, ‘We’re going to the national tournament.’”

That day was an emotional one for both Catoni and his father.

“He was just silent in excitement,” Catoni said. “But I knew that he was really proud of me. It was just a very good feeling for the both of us, we were filled with joy.”

The national championships started on Aug. 12 in Dotham, Alabama shortly after Catoni’s 14th birthday. His first time competing at the national level brought all of his hard work and dedication to fruition.

“Even though I was pretty nervous, driving there with my dad was very exciting,” Catoni said. “I knew that no matter what happened it would be insane.”

Although Catoni was unable to advance while competing against the nation’s best players, the experience showed him that he belonged among them.

“I actually realized that I’m capable of doing it,” Catoni said. “I can be great in the sport, do something with the game that I love.”

Catoni’s father has loved to watch his son develop as both an athlete and a person.

“It’s a great feeling to see him grow,” Fausto Catoni said. “Sometimes you think time flies too quickly, but you can’t stop time.”

Off the court, Catoni’s growth stands out in his commitment to always support his teammates at Bellaire High School.

“He’s always there, supporting the team,” Lavi said. “He’s always there for you, always helping, always trying to put full effort into pushing [you] to do better.”

Catoni’s goal is to go D1 in college to eventually go pro. He said tennis will always be a part of his life.

“I just want to have fun with the sport and keep doing it until I’m old,” Catoni said.

Lavi has “full confidence” in his friend’s abilities.

“I think that he’ll become one of the best tennis players,” Lavi said. “He can do it because that’s his dream.”

Catoni has the lessons he has learned both on and off the court to guide him as well as a team of people supporting him on the way to achieving his dreams.

“I don’t think there’s one moment Manuel goes without thinking about tennis,” Lavi said. “With his mindset and dedication, I don’t think there is anything stopping him.”