On the occasion of his 46th birthday, Ivan Ljubicic gave an exclusive interview in which between past, present and future he stressed the importance of the work done by I Tennis Foundation, the Italian charity of which he is an honorary member and supervisor.
The former world No. 3 and Roger Federer’s last coach, who met the young talents supported by the association, said, “It is an extraordinary opportunity for so many kids. For me, when I came to Italy from Bosnia, it was my only opportunity to emerge and I managed to make the most of it. But not only me. All the Bosnian kids who came with me to Turin during that time benefited greatly from that experience.”
Similarly, the great work of the board and the entire staff that includes among others former world number one Emilio Sanchez, Gipo Arbino – Lorenzo Sonego’s historical coach – and mental coach Stefano Massari who worked with Matteo Berrettini and who works closely with Simone Bongiovanni – co-founder and supervisor of the mental part – can give young scholars the opportunity to find their way through tennis.
The former world No. 3 added, “The charitable activities of I Tennis Foundation are very important because they affect not only the sports careers of the children, but their lives and thus the families they will form. That is why I will be absolutely grateful for the rest of my life for the opportunity I was given more than 30 years ago and why I decided to support I Tennis Foundation. There are no such projects, and I too try to contribute as much as I can because I know how important it is. Because if there was no I Tennis Foundation, who else would do something like this?”
Ljubicic’s commitment to I Tennis Foundation is a testament to his sensitivity to young talent who do not have the financial opportunities to emerge. An example of how tennis can be a tool for social redemption and personal growth.
Full interview: https://www.today.it/sport/tennis/intervista-ljubicic.html