With the end of the 2024-2025 season, the third edition of “Intesa Sanpaolo Assicurazioni Little Tennis Champions,” the tennis improvement scholarship program promoted by the charity I Tennis Foundation and designed to support promising young Italian tennis players from less affluent backgrounds through special training sessions, participation in international tournaments, and educational activities complementary to their schooling, officially ends.
From 2021 to 2024, the project featured a total of 30 scholarship holders selected from among the most promising under Italians, accompanying them on a path of technical, tactical, athletic and personal growth that required more than 90 hours of special dedicated on-court sessions with the work of I Tennis Foundation’s technical staff assisted over the years by 8 top international coaches. These include prominent names such as Gipo Arbino, Lorenzo Sonego’s historic coach; Ivan Ljubičić, former world No. 3 and former coach of Roger Federe; and Emilio Sánchez Vicario, former ATP No. 1 in doubles, founder of the Sanchez-Casal Academy.and currently one of the most sought-after coaches internationally.
Young tennis players have taken part in 42 international tournaments – including Tennis Europe U14 circuit events, Tennis Europe U16, ITF U18 and Italian category championships – winning 33 titles and 23 finals. In addition, 8 scholars have been regularly summoned to federal rallies, a sign of the level of play achieved at the national level.
And still many unforgettable experiences: from attending the great matches of the Nitto ATP Finals and the Internazionali BNL d’Italia to participating in the CRC Foundation’s ‘Dialogues on Talent’ event with guests Steffi Graf and Andre Agassi, and tournaments played at the Rafa Nadal Academy and the Ljubicic Tennis Academy.
The program has enjoyed the support of more than 40 partners, and has been able to count on the support and inspiration of more than 10 ambassadors, including top coaches and stars of Italian tennis such as Davisman Lorenzo Sonego, top 10 Lorenzo Musetti with his coach Simone Tartarini, Internazionali d’Italia champion Jasmine Paolini, and world number 26 Flavio Cobolli.
The great results achieved and the heart of the project were made possible thanks to the continued support of Intesa Sanpaolo Assicurazioni, the title sponsor of the program, which believed from the very beginning in the strength of youth talent and the educational mission of I Tennis Foundation, to whom a big and heartfelt thank you is therefore due.
What’s next? The I Tennis Foundation team is already working for the future. Because dreams on the court never stop.