Turin, 18 July – After the extraordinary experience of the first edition, I Tennis Foundation renews the Intesa Sanpaolo Assicura Little Tennis Champions programme for 2023-24, continuing the work done with the 12 talents selected in 2022. The project provides concrete support to young Italian talents who have skills and aptitude with the racket in their hands, but do not have the economic possibilities to make the most of them.
With the aim of continuing the incredible work done by the young tennis players and the technical staff of the Turin-based non-profit association, it was in fact decided to renew the 12 scholarships to the selected players in the summer of 2022, in order to allow them to continue their growth, which has been so far remarkable both from a technical and a mental point of view.
An intense year and a list of unforgettable moments that we want to remember:
– always supervised by Gipo Arbino, Lorenzo Sonego’s coach, over ten months;
– coached by Ivan Ljubicic, who until a few months earlier was training Roger Federer;
– coached by Emilio Sanchez, one of the most prestigious former coaches in the world;
– coached by Francesca Schiavone, the most important Italian tennis player in history;
– followed by Stefano Massari, Matteo Berrettini’s mental coach;
– competing “against” Lorenzo Sonego on the courts of the Finals;
– helped with the advice of Lorenzo Musetti, a new honorary member of the I Tennis Foundation;
– received a trophy from the hands of former ATP n° 3 tennis player, David Ferrer at his academy in Alicante;
– met Rafael Nadal and played a tournament in his academy;
– on the court with showman Rosario Fiorello at the Forte Village Resort;
Simone Bongiovanni, Founder and President of I Tennis Foundation, explains: “We are really satisfied with the improvement of our young talents. We conceived an innovative programme, which offers a concrete chance of redemption to those who have skills but not the economic possibilities to exploit them, and already after just one edition we can say that the format works very well. All 12 have improved both technically and in their complex mental management, an increasingly crucial aspect in modern tennis. They have matured as persons, in their daily attitude, and this is a success that is worth much more than the excellent results they have also achieved. We are very happy to be able to start this second edition”.
The 2023-24 scholarship plan aims to provide a one-year course that includes tennis training sessions, participation in Tennis Europe and ITF international tournaments, as well as important activities such as mental coaching, English language courses, civic education, learning by the champions, journalism and sports communication.
In detail, the programme includes: 8 weeks of tennis training, 8 weeks of tournaments between Tennis Europe and ITF, plus 6 additional training courses.
Alessandro Scarfò, CEO of Intesa Sanpaolo Assicura, said: “Inclusion and the protection of one’s personal goals are values in which we strongly believe and, for this reason, we want to continue to support this project of absolute quality and innovation, so that the young talents selected can continue to live a unique experience and try to realise their dream. The results achieved by these young people in the first edition of the programme are a clear testimony of how talent developed within a protected context can bring great satisfaction”.
The 12 ISA-LTC fellows, who arrived in Turin on 13th July for a week of advanced training with Gipo Arbino, are Sabrina Baranovschi, Martina Cerbo, Alessandra Fiorillo, Francesca Galli, Giulia Di Concetto and Elisabetta Allegra, and the kids Mattia Bille, Mattia Cappellari, Mattia Cona, Matteo Gribaldo, Carlo Paci and Alex Romano.
Guided along the 2022-2023 path by Emilio Sanchez, Ivan Ljubicic, Gipo Arbino, Francesca Schiavone, and mental coach Stefano Massari, the scholars were supported by team spirit and showed significant signs of growth at Tennis Europe International Tournaments, as evidenced by the 13 victories achieved, 11 finals played and 14 semi-finals reached.
Results that also determined these best rankings:
– Carlo Paci (born in 2009) best ranking of n° 43 in Europe and first Italian Under 14;
– Mattia Cappellari (2008) 72nd place in the Under 16 classification;
– Martina Cerbo (2009) climbed up to n° 80 Under 14;
– Alessandra Fiorillo current Under-16 world number 176;
Also doing well were Alex Romano (305 U14), Giulia Di Concetto (304 U16), Francesca Galli (338 U16) and Mattia Bille (378 U16).
The initiative, sponsored by Sport and Health, the Piedmont Region, the City of Turin, the Sardinia Region, Laureus Italia Foundation, Professional Tennis Registry, Ferrero Foundation and Cecilia Gilardi Foundation, is supported by prestigious brands:
– Title Sponsor Intesa Sanpaolo Assicura, Official Sponsors Iren Luce Gas e Servizi, ZTE, Assist Digital, Ceta S.p.A. and Gruppo Colombo;
– by renowned partners: like Ticketone, Top Five, Unione Industriali di Torino;
The scholarship provides a comprehensive training:
1. Hospitality for children in I Tennis Foundation venues
2. Technical equipment and clothing
3. Technical-tactical preparation through the I Tennis Foundation technical committee
4. Athletic and mental preparation
6. Support at Tennis Europe and ITF tournaments through coaches and the I Tennis Foundation team
7. Video analysis and game technology
8. Expert nutritionist assistance
9. Support teacher for school activity
10. Annual civic education course e-learning by the champions
11. Annual English language course
12. Annual course in journalism and sports communication
13. Annual History of Tennis Course
14. Lessons in insurance protection by Intesa Sanpaolo Assicura?
15. Lessons in sustainability education by Iren Luce Gas e Servizi
THE PROGRAMME
In Turin, from 13 to 20 July, the 12 Italian talents will spend a week of training under the guidance of Gipo Arbino. Then off with coaches and trainers between Austria, Greece and Bosnia Herzegovina towards the many Tennis Europe appointments. Afterwards it will be the turn of the Italian Championships. The best four from this first phase will then be taken to the Forte Village Resort for a special training session with Gipo Arbino. Three days of training in October at the Tennis Villa Reale in Monza, while in November they will be back to Turin for the Nitto ATP Finals, when the 12 scholarship holders will train with Ivan Ljubicic and Gipo Arbino, and will be involved in a series of activities by our partners. In 2024, the 12 scholars will return to compete in Tennis Europe events and ITF tournaments, including the event at the Ljubicic Tennis Academy on the island of Lošinj in Croatia. In April it will be the turn of an ITF tournament. Then in May the grand finale with the closing ceremony and the screening of the docufilm “The Talents of Intesa Sanpaolo Assicura Little Tennis Champions”.
