Two weeks packed with technical training, educational experiences and opportunities for personal development marked the I Tennis Foundation team’s time in the capital, during the BNL Italian Open and the Tennis Europe Under-16 Supercategory.
The programme kicked off with a graduation ceremony at the Circolo Montecitorio, where I Tennis Foundation brought together some of the leading figures in Italian tennis to celebrate the work carried out with the young scholarship holders of the Little Tennis Champions 2025–26 for Italy, Albania, Kosovo and Montenegro programme.
During the evening, the arrival of new partners – Axpo Italia and the Pulsee Luce e Gas brand, Unical and Eurocar – was also celebrated, and the two main sponsors, Yokohama and Axpo Italia, were honoured, with the awards accepted respectively by Luca Guglielmi, Media Relations & Communication Manager at Axpo Italia, and Alice Spinelli, Goods & Services Procurement Manager at Yokohama. A symbolic moment that kicked off a period packed with events both on and off the court.
In the days that followed, the scholarship holders took part in training sessions with two leading figures in Italian tennis, Gipo Arbino and Claudio Pistolesi, engaging with international-level methodologies, paces and technical standards. A valuable opportunity to test themselves against a more mature style of tennis, characterised by attention to detail, intensity and awareness.
At the same time, the young players got a first-hand taste of the atmosphere at the Italian Open, meeting champions and coaches such as Flavia Pennetta, Lorenzo Sonego, Roberta Vinci and Alessandro Petrone, soaking up the energy of the Foro Italico and observing the work of the tour professionals up close.
The most significant sporting highlight was their participation in the Tennis Europe Under-16 Supercategory, an international tournament held on the very same courts at the Foro Italico. For the scholarship recipients, it was a unique experience: competing on the same courts graced by the world’s best male and female players, and experiencing for the first time the technical and organisational environment of true professional tennis.
Alongside the sporting activities, the Tennis Foundation then organised two team-building events with partners Assist Digital and Angelini Academy.
The first featured Gipo Arbino and Ivan Ljubicic, who shared their thoughts on leadership, resilience and a winning mindset.
The second session, entitled “The Courage to Take Risks – Tennis as a Metaphor”, brought to the stage one of the greatest coaches in tennis history, Toni Nadal (17 Grand Slam titles alongside his nephew Rafa), Stefano Cobolli (father and coach of Flavio Cobolli, the newly ranked No. 12 in the ATP rankings), Alberto Castellani (who has guided 24 players into the tennis top 100) and Simone Bongiovanni (co-founder of I Tennis and team manager of the Little Tennis Champions programme), hosted by Lucia Blini (deputy director of Sportmediaset) and with a live link from the Foro Italico with Sky Sport journalist Stefano Meloccaro. A day that brought together vision, courage, stories of sport and management training.
For the I Tennis Foundation, the two weeks in Rome represented a concentration of values, opportunities and encounters that enrich the journey of the young scholarship holders and reinforce the association’s mission: to offer talented young people the chance to grow, learn and dream through tennis.
