Winner Sinner
Hall of Fame
When Italy won the Davis Cup for the first time in 1976 - it happened the week before Christmas - millions of children found the much-requested object of desire under the tree: a racket. Santiago's triumph had represented the culmination of a magical year, with Panatta's victories in Rome and Paris which had taken tennis away from the swampy and restricted environments of the clubs and delivered it to popular passion. It was the first boom, which ended quickly because those results were not repeated and the federation did not have the structures and skills to ride and make the most of that enthusiasm.
WHAT A RISE—
Almost 50 years later, the second Italian renaissance is based on very solid foundations, in which the collective exaltation inspired by the successes of Jannik Sinner and his teammates is combined with in-depth work by the federation, from the identification of young talents throughout the national territory, to the organization of tournaments from the Challengers to the Finals through the Internationals, up to marketing.
And under the combined effect of all these factors, tennis has now become the second Italian sport behind football. The main driving force, obviously, is represented by the results, because the victories of Sinner, the first number one in the history of our country, created an interest that ended up involving even those who have never held a racket in their hands.
And then, in addition to Jannik, everyone wins: singles and doubles, Paolini alone and paired with Errani (historic Olympic gold in Paris), Bolelli and Vavassori, men's and women's team competitions. In short, not a week went by without one of our players not being a protagonist. To give a measure of tennis mania, television also comes to the rescue: the Slam and Sinner Masters finals and the Davis Cup week were among the most followed sporting events of the season.
THE CHALLENGE—
An overwhelming wave that also affects the box office of the ATP Finals in Turin and the Italian Internationals, with the former having sold out all sessions in November and the latter already recording a +70% in pre-sales compared to to the latest edition. The organization of two events of this magnitude produces profits and an enormous return on image, contributing to a large extent to the overall economic impact of the tennis-padel "industry", the total of which has reached 8.1 billion euros, guaranteeing the country system 1.2 billion in tax revenues.
Figures that testify to the imperious race of racket sport towards a dimension that in Italy is occupied only by football. In a survey carried out last spring, football was the most followed sport for 53% of those interviewed, but tennis was immediately behind with 39%, a figure in line with the certified fans, 22 million against 18. Certainly the football still has a massive impact on Italy's economic fundamentals compared to its competitor, just think of the 19.1 billion it moves, more than double the number of rackets, and the 3.3 billion in tax revenue it ensures for the treasury, almost triple. But Binaghi's long-term project, that is, that of tennis which in its constant growth path comes to undermine (and perhaps surpass) the popularity of football is not just a simple visionary dream: «It is wrong – he says – to talk about a battle , simply at the base there is a healthy idea of competitiveness which can act as a stimulus for everyone and which is normal in all countries of the world. Football is the most popular sport in Italy and therefore other federations should study the model to try to obtain the same visibility. For me he represents an example, an inspiration and certainly not an enemy to fight." After all, in the hearts of Italians there is room for everyone.
WHAT A RISE—
Almost 50 years later, the second Italian renaissance is based on very solid foundations, in which the collective exaltation inspired by the successes of Jannik Sinner and his teammates is combined with in-depth work by the federation, from the identification of young talents throughout the national territory, to the organization of tournaments from the Challengers to the Finals through the Internationals, up to marketing.
And under the combined effect of all these factors, tennis has now become the second Italian sport behind football. The main driving force, obviously, is represented by the results, because the victories of Sinner, the first number one in the history of our country, created an interest that ended up involving even those who have never held a racket in their hands.
And then, in addition to Jannik, everyone wins: singles and doubles, Paolini alone and paired with Errani (historic Olympic gold in Paris), Bolelli and Vavassori, men's and women's team competitions. In short, not a week went by without one of our players not being a protagonist. To give a measure of tennis mania, television also comes to the rescue: the Slam and Sinner Masters finals and the Davis Cup week were among the most followed sporting events of the season.
THE CHALLENGE—
An overwhelming wave that also affects the box office of the ATP Finals in Turin and the Italian Internationals, with the former having sold out all sessions in November and the latter already recording a +70% in pre-sales compared to to the latest edition. The organization of two events of this magnitude produces profits and an enormous return on image, contributing to a large extent to the overall economic impact of the tennis-padel "industry", the total of which has reached 8.1 billion euros, guaranteeing the country system 1.2 billion in tax revenues.
Figures that testify to the imperious race of racket sport towards a dimension that in Italy is occupied only by football. In a survey carried out last spring, football was the most followed sport for 53% of those interviewed, but tennis was immediately behind with 39%, a figure in line with the certified fans, 22 million against 18. Certainly the football still has a massive impact on Italy's economic fundamentals compared to its competitor, just think of the 19.1 billion it moves, more than double the number of rackets, and the 3.3 billion in tax revenue it ensures for the treasury, almost triple. But Binaghi's long-term project, that is, that of tennis which in its constant growth path comes to undermine (and perhaps surpass) the popularity of football is not just a simple visionary dream: «It is wrong – he says – to talk about a battle , simply at the base there is a healthy idea of competitiveness which can act as a stimulus for everyone and which is normal in all countries of the world. Football is the most popular sport in Italy and therefore other federations should study the model to try to obtain the same visibility. For me he represents an example, an inspiration and certainly not an enemy to fight." After all, in the hearts of Italians there is room for everyone.
