A magical evening to celebrate a special project. At the Circolo degli Esteri in Rome, the awards ceremony of Intesa Sanpaolo Assicura Little Tennis Champions, the project created by I Tennis Foundation and dedicated to 12 Italian talents who have quality and ambition but not the economic resources to exploit them, was on stage last night.
The testimonials supporting the charity’s activities were present. From Davis champions Lorenzo Sonego and Matteo Arnaldi, to Italian champions Jasmine Paolini and Elisabetta Cocciaretto, to Australian Open 2024 semi-finalist Dayana Yastremska. And then the great Italian coaches: Tartarini, Furlan, Petrone, Scolari, Arbino and Santopadre, with the last two also starring on the court throughout the year with the talents of I Tennis Foundation. Without forgetting Marco Panichi, busy for seven seasons taking care of Nole Djokovic’s athletic training and racking up Grand Slam tournaments.
The scholarship plan, launched as early as the summer of 2022, aims to provide a year-long course including tennis training sessions with the association’s top coaches (over the years, in addition to Gipo Arbino and Vincenzo Santopadre, Emilio Sanchez, Ivan Ljubicic, Francesca Schiavone and Omar Camporese have alternated on the court with the boys) and participation in international Tennis Europe and ITF tournaments. To the 12 players also important activities such as mental coaching (with Stefano Massari, Matteo Berrettini’s mental coach), English language courses, civic education, learning by the champions, journalism and sports communication.
A unique path that has led the six boys (Mattia Bille, Mattia Cappellari, Matteo Gribaldo, Carlo Paci, Alex Romano, and Mattia Cona) and six girls (Francesca Galli, Martina Cerbo, Alessandra Fiorillo, Sabrina Baranovschi, Elisabetta Allegra, and Bianca Baroglio) to mature and make great progress, demonstrated by improved performance and excellent results. In fact, there are 21 international tournaments won during the first two editions of the program, 18 finals played and 26 semifinals reached, with the icing on the cake of Italian titles in Under 15 and Under 16 doubles.
“We are very happy with the path of the 12 fellows,” explained Simone Bongiovanni, founder of I Tennis Foundation and coordinator of the program, “Accompanied by our technical committee and teachers, they have all given their best and made remarkable progress both technically and mentally. The goal was to make them grow; the results were a logical consequence of this path. With the good hope of completing the necessary fundraising, we would like to start again in July with the third edition.”
During Charity Night honorary membership awards were presented to Matteo Arnaldi, Jasmine Paolini, Elisabetta Cocciaretto and Hu Kun, president Western Europe & Ceo of ZTE.
“This project represents a fantastic opportunity,” explained Matteo Arnaldi, number 36 ATP and 3 of Italy. “I didn’t have all this opportunity to tour as a child. I started around the age of 16-17. These are experiences that shape you not only as an athlete but as a person. You start to grow up. I travelled a lot by myself. Taking my first flights by myself, going to hotels and doing all my things by myself. That helped me a lot to mature quickly and then also to deal with situations on the court and handle them better. The Tennis Foundation is doing a very good thing for these kids. It helps them to play international tournaments, but more generally to grow and learn how to work day by day. And that I think is the most important thing.”
“What you are doing is really amazing and I am really happy to be a part of this association – Elisabetta Cocciaretto‘s first words – Seeing the boys and girls of I Tennis Foundation reminded me of my path as an under and I got excited. One piece of advice? With my coach Fausto Scolari we always set long-term goals to then have the level of play and skills that are needed at the professional level.”
The evening was also graced by four other special awards to 2008 Mattia Cappellari, Francesca Galli and Alessandra Fiorillo, and 2009 Carlo Paci, to whom the title sponsor Intesa Sanpaolo Assicura decided to award an upgrade to play more tournaments. “It is an honour for me to be here with these young talents,” says Massimiliano Dalla Via, CEO and General Manager Intesa Sanpaolo RBM Salute. We believe that sport is a very powerful medium for personal growth and social inclusion. When talent is encountered in sports, that’s when talent becomes a natural element to be evolved and protected. If there is then the component of commitment then you enter a meritocratic context. And it is precisely this aspect that makes this project special. Making sure that the most deserving have the right opportunities to grow.”
THE PROJECT
The Intesa Sanpaolo Assicura Little Tennis Champions scholarship plan aims to provide a one-year program including tennis training sessions, participation in international Tennis Europe tournaments and important activities such as mental coaching, English language courses, civic education, learning by the champions, journalism and sports communication.
In detail, the program includes: 8 weeks of tennis training, 10 weeks of Tennis Europe and ITF tournaments, mental coaching and additional training courses.
