Hamden Man, Twin Brother Set New Guinness World Record

HAMDEN, CT — Identical twins Angelo and Ettore Rossetti set a new Guinness World Records title for the longest pickleball rally of more than 16,000 consecutive shots this past weekend.

The feat took 6 hours and 11 minutes to accomplish at the Tennis & Fitness Center of Rocky Hill as part of World Mental Health Day, according to a news release.

The Rally for Charity event was held Oct. 10 and benefited Save the Children. The event raised $3,000 toward their $15,000 goal and “awareness for charity but also awareness that pickleball is a sport of all ages,” according to the news release.

Angelo Rossetti is a lifelong Hamden resident who serves as the Director of Racquet Sports at the Tennis & Fitness Center of Rocky Hill. Ettore serves as Sr. Advisor of Digital, Marketing & Innovation at Save the Children. They are certified USPTA Elite tennis teaching professionals for more than 25 years and are also USTA members and USA Pickleball members.

“It’s about serving others and helping children around the world to experience pickleball and to be aware of the mental fitness of sport,” Angelo said of the event.

Guinness World Records Ltd. set the bar at 15,000 consecutive shots in order to earn the title.

“The Rossetti Brothers, Angelo and Ettore, eclipsed the record by over 1,000 shots and never missed,” the news release states. “This figure is symbolic of the daily child mortality figure: Every day, 15,000 children under age 5 die from preventable causes, such as pneumonia, malnutrition and malaria. The last record set by the Rossetti Brothers was the Longest Tennis Volley Rally, volleying a tennis ball 30,576 times, a record that still stands today. They also rallied a tennis ball 14 hours and 31 minutes to set the longest tennis rally in 2008. They now are three for three in their last three Guinness World Records attempts. More importantly, they raised more than $100,000 for Save the Children and received their Humanitarian Stream Team award.”

“I admire and support the Rossetti Brothers on their continued efforts to inspire and to serve children,” said Peter Parrotta, owner of the Tennis & Fitness Center of Rocky Hill and past president of USTA New England & USTA CT. “We were honored to host this wonderful event.”

Ettore Rossetti said, “Being recognized as a humanitarian who makes a positive difference for people, especially reducing child mortality in the US and around the world, is a bucket list item that is more important to me than setting world records.”

Read more from the news release below:

The event included a free pickleball social, including lessons, clinics, cardio pickleball called “Pick ‘n move” by Ahmad “the pickleball hulk” Elliot, as well as open round robin match play, all for fun and to raise money for charity. Anyone is encouraged to make donations of any size at www.rallyforcharity.org. IPTPA Certified Pickleball Teaching Professional & Coach “Z”orano Tubo, who also serves as Director of Public relations was on hand to run pickleball activities and lessons such as Drill and Play.

The festivities and official rally attempt started at 9 a.m. and continued through 6 p.m. The brothers hope to raise at least $12,000 to match the rally count of 15,000 for Save the Children and the IPTPA to support underprivileged children around the world to be introduced to the wonderful and world’s most popular sport of pickleball.

“Tennis improves your pickleball and playing pickleball improves your tennis,” Angelo said. “Tennis starts with love and a first serve, serve first in tennis and in life and the same with pickleball,” Ettore said. The event was live streamed on www.rallyforcharity.org so fans can watch the attempt. To support as a volunteer, participant or to make a donation, email pickleball@rallyforcharity.org.

“Congratulations to Angelo and Ettore on setting the record for the world’s longest pickleball rally! Events like Rally for Charity, are great representation of what pickleball is all about, bringing people together to support a great cause,” said Aaron Stahl, Specialist Brand Partnership (Pickleball) at Franklin Sports. “We look forward to working with Angelo and Ettore on all of their future events.”

Special thanks to the venue host the Tennis and Fitness Center of Rocky Hill for their support of the event. This is an all-inclusive event so organizations including USA Pickleball, IPTPA, USPTA, USTA, Franklin Sports and PTR are welcome to promote and support the event.

The brothers had previously held the title of 25,944, recognized as the “longest tennis rally” lasting for five years after setting it on August 9-10, 2008. The feat took 14 hours and 31 minutes with the fuzzless ball still on exhibit at the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, Rhode Island. In 2015, on Roger Federer’s birthday, the Rossetti Brothers broke their previous 2008 record in less than one third of the time, rallying more than 30,576 consecutive volleys in 5 hours and 28 minutes, setting the Guinness World Records™ Title of the “longest tennis volley rally.”

Their purpose, effort, and personal sacrifices inspired many others based on the outpouring of support. The Rossetti Brothers’ achieve their goal to inspire children and adults with their feat. They called it the Four Gs to have balance and success in tennis and in life: Get a Dream, Goals Set, Goals Get, and Give Back. This charity event will raise funds and awareness for Save the Children. Save the Children helps children in 120 countries, including the United States, providing support for health, education, protection, disaster relief and so much more. With nearly 1 in 4 American kids living in poverty, Save the Children invests in education, health and emergency programs right here in the United States. “We are raising awareness and funds for those children who don’t survive beyond age five around the world and those who don’t have the opportunity to learn here in the U.S.,” said Ettore, who is a certified pickleball teaching professional through IPTPA as is his brother Angelo.