Indeed, these days Italy is the rising power in men’s tennis. Unfortunately on the men’s side, Italy’s recent success has come from a more accomplished cast of Jannik Sinner, Sara Errani, Andrea Vavassori, Lorenzo Musetti, and Matteo Berrettini. Italy is stepping up its game when it comes to tennis. Recent victories illustrate the country’s remarkable capacity to rise up as a global leader.
In response, the Italian national tennis federation has adopted a new, multimodal approach to raise Italy’s profile in the sport. This plan involves staging 148 international competitions, roughly 8% of all such events held around Europe. Turin is set to roll out the red carpet for the ATP Finals. This event marks the first addition of a fifth season-ending tournament in men’s tennis. The revered Italian Open in Rome, meanwhile, remains one of the world’s iconic clay-court competitions. This event is a tremendous display of Italy’s persistent and passionate pursuit of tennis greatness.
It’s a moment for Italy to take pride in having achieved major milestones globally. Errani and Vavassori made history as the first Italians to win the mixed doubles title at the US Open, showcasing their prowess. They successfully repeated as champions in a newly revamped tournament style. The victory at Roland Garros provided a second major title to their impressive collection.
The success of players like Jannik Sinner and Lorenzo Musetti has further solidified Italy’s position as a powerhouse in tennis. Sinner is currently seen as Italy’s top athlete and sportsman, with the chance to secure a third Grand Slam title within a year. Musetti has made it to two Grand Slam semis in only 18 months. Their achievements, alongside those of Jasmine Paolini—who competed in back-to-back singles finals at the French Open and Wimbledon—underscore the depth of talent emerging from Italy.
Ubaldo Scanagatta, an esteemed tennis journalist, emphasized the importance of player support provided by the federation:
“Now, the federation helps the players who do well. They can host them in the national tennis center if they want to practice. And if they need a physio, if they need the doctor, if they need the nutritionist – they find everything.” – Ubaldo Scanagatta
This focus on player development is best illustrated by the training philosophies being adopted by Youth Academies all over Italy. Craig O’Shannessy, a renowned tennis analyst and coach, noted the significant changes in coaching approaches that have taken root:
“What the Italian federation is putting in place is here to stay. They’re more likely to do best in all of those scenarios than any other country I see.” – Craig O’Shannessy
With countless Italian players leaving their creative mark on international courts, the proof is there. That focus on developing local talent is definitely having an impact. Players such as Sinner, Musetti, Lorenzo Sonego and Flavio Cobolli made headlines, shooting up the rankings and reaching the fourth round at Wimbledon. This strong performance is the latest sign of Italy’s rising competitiveness on grass courts.
“My philosophy was very much about getting these young Italian kids to play and teach them while they’re playing… Then you could do more bespoke coaching to these players instead of a cookie-cutter approach.” – Craig O’Shannessy
Jasmine Paolini’s Olympic doubles gold alongside Errani reflects Italy’s commitment to fostering talent across disciplines. The psychological impact of these achievements mirrors historical moments when Sweden dominated the rankings in past decades:
The Italian federation’s very proactive approach has played a key role in fostering this atmosphere of growth. By organizing more tennis events than any other nation, they have created opportunities for local players to compete at home—a factor that has fostered increased participation and performance:
“The psychological effect is the same that (Björn) Borg produced on (Mats) Wilander, (Stefan) Edberg, (Anders) Järryd, (Joakim) Nyström in the 80s when there were four, even five Swedish players in the top 10.” – Ubaldo Scanagatta
Italian players are doing fantastic things, both on the national and international stage. Yet their success is deeply dependent on the robust support networks created by the federation. O’Shannessy was pretty swaggering when he pronounced that Italy is “way ahead of the game.” He points to their sustained long-term vision and investments in player development as key reasons driving this remarkable renaissance.
“We are organizing more tennis than anybody else, and that helps a lot because the Italian players, they can play at home.” – Ubaldo Scanagatta
As Italian players continue to shine on both national and international stages, their success is tied closely to the support systems established by the federation. O’Shannessy affirmed that Italy is “way ahead of the game,” crediting long-term vision and investment in player development as key drivers behind this renaissance.
Leave a Reply