Jimmy Gori was born in New York to an American mother and an Italian father, Renato Gori, a former Italian No. 5 and Davis Cup player. He moved to Italy at the age of five, growing up around the clay courts of Circolo Tennis Firenze, where his grandfather worked and where Jimmy first started hitting balls against the wall.

A true “tennis kid,” Jimmy did it all — ball boy, line judge, chair umpire — before becoming a player himself. Known for his “champagne tennis” style — full of finesse, touch, and creativity — he climbed to No. 63 in Italy, earning a reputation as one of Tuscany’s most distinctive players. Forget heavy baseline slams; Jimmy’s game is all about variety, angles, and rhythm — the kind that drives opponents crazy and delights spectators.

For Jimmy, tennis has always been more than a sport. “Every match reveals your personality,” he says. “On court, you can’t hide — how you play shows who you are.” He sees tennis as a mirror for life: every rally brings a new challenge, every setback a chance to respond.

Across a career spanning more than 50 years, Jimmy has coached generations of players and shared his philosophy with warmth, patience, and insight. Since 2016, he’s been a key part of his current club, where he continues to teach, play, and inspire — with the same enthusiasm that’s carried him from childhood to today.

Now living on the outskirts of Florence, Jimmy still starts each day with fresh curiosity — a new match, a new story, another reason to love the game that’s been with him his whole life.

A native of the Chianti region of Tuscany, Alessandro holds a Level 1  professional certification from the Italian Federation of Tennis. His tennis students come from not only the surrounding area, but from all over the world to experience tennis taught by an experienced coach on the red clay courts of Chianti.