ROSS SCHOOL TENNIS CENTER
Coaches
Tennis Center
Ross School’s Tennis coaches are experienced, professional players representing a number of different countries, including Brazil, Portugal, and Italy.
Founding Director of RSTC Vinicius Carmo finished among the top five in Brazil’s 1996 Junior National Ranking and attended the University of Tennessee on a full tennis scholarship. He directed prestigious tennis programs in the Hamptons before coming to Ross, where he now develops events, tournaments, and competitive training techniques for players of all ages. His NCAA experience and connection to college coaches have helped several Ross graduates obtain university scholarships.
Larissa Giraldi
Hailing from Brazil, Coach Larissa's impressive tennis background began with training under Carlos Kirmayr, a renowned former top-40 ATP player and WTA circuit coach. She later excelled at Southeastern Oklahoma State University, a Division II school where her team was consistently ranked in the nation's top 30. With tennis deeply ingrained in her life, Larissa is dedicated to imparting her expertise and fostering growth in younger players, emphasizing development both inside and outside the lines.
Rafaella Marques
Rafaella is a 21-year-old Brazilian tennis player who just graduated with a Sports Management degree from PennWest Edinboro. Rafa worked closely with the athletics department at the sports information office and was a student manager for the university’s football team. Her background in tennis includes coaching young athletes with a focus on building strong fundamentals, confidence, and love for the game. She believes in creating a positive, fun, encouraging, and educational environment where every player can improve both technically and mentally.
Gianmarco Pitotti
Gianmarco is a 26-year-old coach from Rome, Italy, who has been immersed in tennis since he was three. His competitive career in Italy saw him reach the quarterfinals of the national teams tournament at 14 and advance to the playoffs in the 3rd national teams league. Gianmarco continued his collegiate career in the U.S., playing 1st singles and 1st doubles at Ottawa University in Arizona before transferring to Middle Georgia State University, where he achieved a remarkable #3 national ranking in NAIA in 2025. He trained under former ATP pro Pietro Angelina (ATP #252) at Rome's Villa Aurelia sports club. With a full-time coaching background from 2017-2021, alongside extensive experience at winter and summer camps (Villa Aurelia, CS Mirtense, and TCP club), Gianmarco brings a wealth of knowledge to Ross for his first summer with us.
Edoardo Tessaro—Edoardo was born and raised in Italy, where he was a top 30 junior under 12, 14, and 16. He also competed internationally before attending Virginia Tech on a full scholarship, where he played two full seasons of varsity tennis. He graduated in 2016 with an MS in nutrition and exercise. He reached the 46th position of the ITA ranking, led his team to their best ranking in the tennis program’s history (12th in the country), and was awarded ACC (Atlantic Coast Conference) third team. Edoardo played on the professional tour, obtaining the ranking of 1400 ATP and competing in international events, including the ATP 250 in Florida. He previously worked as a sparring partner for top 600 WTA Italian player Martina Colmegna, as well as coaching many top junior players there.
Rafaela Santos—Rafaela grew up in Brazil and started playing tennis at the age of six. Her father, who has more than 38 years of coaching experience, began coaching her at the family-owned club Academia Tenis & Cia in São Paulo. Rafaela has ten years of experience on the junior tour and five on the professional tour. At 15 years old, she made her first WTA point and reached the WTA singles and doubles ranking at 18 years old. Rafaela was ranked #1 in Brazil in Girls 16's and 18's. She played two years of college tennis at Winthrop University, where she participated in the Big South Conference Championship Team. In her first year, she was awarded freshman of the week twice and was first-team singles and second-team doubles (All-Big South Conference). She participated in the first round of the NCAA tournament in 2019. In her sophomore year, she was number two in singles and number one in doubles. She completed her Bachelor of Science in Human Nutrition and Bachelor of Arts in Modern Languages. Rafaela has more than fifteen years of tennis experience and has coached at her family's tennis academy, and was an assistant tennis coach at the Nike Tennis Camp in Charlotte, North Carolina.