Forza Italia takes over tennis

Hindustan Times

2 days ago

Mumbai: If he wanted, Flavio Cobolli could have become a beloved footballer. He was, after all, a budding star in the youth ranks of Italian giants AS Roma. But in a country where football is the most important sport, Cobolli chose to follow an upward trend. Flavio Cobolli of Italy leaves the court after losing to Ben Shelton during the National Bank Open. (Getty Images via AFP)
'Tennis will never replace football in Italy, but it is definitely growing fast,' Cobolli told HT. 'After the recent successes, I see more kids picking up a racquet and more fans following the sport. It's great for Italian tennis.'
Now 23, Cobolli is an important contributor to the 'successes.' He earned his way to a quarter-final finish at Wimbledon last month. It made him the latest player from Italy to make a strong push to the upper echelons of the sport, breaking into the top 20 in the world rankings for the first time. He is also a part of the growing list of Italians, across the men's and women's tours, that are part of the top 100 in world rankings.
In the men's ATP circuit, nine Italians are in the top 100 - the most by a non-Grand Slam host nation. The women's circuit has three players in the top 100, but the country is the reigning champion at both the Billie Jean King Cup and Davis Cup - the premier world team events for women and men respectively.
Earlier this week, Italians Jannik Sinner and Jasmine Paolini had reached the men's and women's singles final, respectively, of the Cincinnati Open. Although they both finished as runners-up, this was the second time this year that they had reached the final of a joint ATP-WTA Masters event (Rome).
And with the US Open coming up later this month, the expectations will be high from the Italians once again, especially defending champion and world No.1 Sinner.
'We have so many great players in Italy now, so naturally people expect results,' said Cobolli, who won ATP titles in Hamburg and Bucharest earlier this year.
Though the rise of Italy in tennis seems rather sudden, the wheels of change had been set in motion some time ago. The most prominent step in the development is the fact that the country hosts a number of lower-level competitions.
In the 2025 season alone, Italy will host 17 ATP Challengers and nine WTA 125-level events - tournaments that are essentially gateways to the bigger tour events. Along with those is the combined ATP and WTA Rome Masters, the ATP Finals in Turin, and the Davis Cup Finals in Bologna.
'Playing Challengers at home gave me experience, confidence, and the chance to compete against strong players without travelling far,' Cobolli said. 'Those weeks were very important for my development.'
And while the younger players got a chance to find their feet at competitions at home, their progress was well followed by fans, courtesy SuperTennis, a television channel launched by the Italian Tennis and Padel Federation (FITP) in 2008. The channel broadcasts live matches of almost all tournaments held in Italy - across levels - along with several major competitions abroad, including the US Open. What it has done is made the players household names throughout the Boot.
The approach to develop players also changed. Earlier, the FITP had a more centralised system, where the best players would be asked to leave their home bases to train and learn at a centre of the association's choice. Now, the federation is supporting the clubs where players train instead.
'We made a collective decision at the FITP that the best place for the players to develop was at home with their families,' explained Donato Campagnoli, a consultant for the Department of Tactical-Technical, to ATP.com. 'That they should continue with the coaches who trained them, and remain at the clubs who have supported them from the first bounce of the ball.'
Additionally, effort has been made to improve the coaching standard.
'We have great coaches across the country because we've worked a lot on the instructions for the coaches to give,' said Italy's BJK Cup captain Tathiana Garbin, a former world No.22, to the Roland Garros website. 'Also, we don't just work in the city centres, we try to work in all parts of Italy, that wasn't always considered. Now we try to help small children from everywhere. Until you search, you don't know if you have a talent there.'
Which is how Italy was able to unearth Sinner, who comes from a small ski-town near the Austrian border.
Now a four-time Grand Slam champion, Sinner leads the Italian men. The women are spearheaded by world No.8 Jasmine Paolini, who reached the French Open and Wimbledon final last year, and in June became the first Italian woman since 1985 to win the women's singles title at the Rome Masters.
The Italian contingent is steadily growing in number and stature. But the camaraderie remains intact.
'We support each other, even if we're rivals on court,' Cobolli said. 'That friendly competition helps everyone raise their level. It's nice to share this journey with people who understand exactly what you're going through.'
One of the examples of that rapport was on display when the women's team went to visit Garbin in hospital after she had surgery to remove a tumour in her stomach in 2023.
Also growing is tennis' popularity.
'Football was my first love,' Cobolli added. 'But tennis gave me something different. The challenge of being out there alone, taking responsibility for every point. That feeling won me over.'
Despite his rise on court, he remains an avid AS Roma supporter and sports a tattoo of a quote by former team captain Daniele de Rossi. The quote, which translates to 'you are my only wife, you are my only love,' was dedicated to the club.
Though Cobolli decided to follow a path towards tennis, he carries a little bit of his first love with him.
Forza Italia.