Why is Italian tennis so successful?
Yet another Italian player has made himself famous by beating Novak Djokovic at Indian Wells. Luca Nardi ranked 123 in the world managed to beat his idol on a big stage in a Masters 1000 event.
He spoke after the match of how much it has helped hitting with and learning from Jannik Sinner which is obviously a factor in his success, but what are the other reasons why Italy has produced so many players high up the ATP & WTA rankings in recent years?
Two stats worth knowing are that Italy is ranked 3rd in the world with the most amount of players ranked professionally and 2nd in the world in terms of the number of coaches.
ATP Rankings - Top 100 Italy
3 Jannik Sinner
26 Lorenzo Musetti
40 Matteo Arnaldi
55 Lorenzo Sonego
62 Flavio Cobolli
73 Luciano Darderi
WTA Rankings - Top 100 Italy
14 Jasmine Paolini
53 Lucia Bronzetti
59 Martina Trevisan
60 Elisabetta Cocciaretto
100 Sara Errani
Having lived in Italy for over 10 years I was fortunate enough to compete and coach in many regions of this beautiful country. This experience helped me gain a valuable insight into how it all works and here is my list of key factors which, in my opinion, contributes to their success:
1/ Well-equipped, welcoming tennis clubs are everywhere including even in the smallest of places and usually with bubbles over the courts in the winter.
2/ The vast majority of these clubs are a place to hang out as a kid or an adult, play tennis and then have the opportunity to eat or drink in a pleasant environment. A club without good food is not a viable option in this part of the world!
3/ Clay courts are the norm which is generally considered in the coaching world to be an important factor in the skills development of young players, which is necessary to have a solid base to grow from in later teenage years. A good clay court player can learn to play on hard courts but the other way around is more difficult. Just ask Andy Roddick!
4/ Italian schools finish earlier which allows kids to head straight to the local club where they play,eat and do their homework, so parents are happy with all the boxes ticked.
5/ There is an excellent competition structure throughout the country which allows all ages to develop their competitive skills close to home and for the aspiring pros there are so many low and mid level tour events again reducing the necessity to travel quite so often. Italians also play better when able to access their own cuisine!
6/ A tennis club in Italy is not allowed to operate if providing group coaching unless they also provide physical training appropriate to the age of the child which is done in a fun way but at the same time develops the athlete. This is not the norm in UK tennis unless you are in a high performance squad. The adults too who are doing group lessons in the evenings also take part in physical training sessions as part of their routine at the club.
7/ There are experienced coaches in all parts of the country who have played and/or coached at a high level which gives them an awareness of the world game and standards required at different ages, especially if aiming for a pro career.
8/ There is a lot more private sponsorship of clubs, their teams and general infrastructure than in the UK.
Finally....
Italian tennis is booming at the moment partly due to Sinner winning the Oz Open. Having a positive role model like Jannik will help Italy produce even more top players in the years to come.
Every country is different and I am not saying we can reproduce what Italy have done, but I would say that we should always be willing to look at what we do and question why.
Learning from other countries and experienced coaches should be seen as a necessity for the development of this very difficult but wonderful game of tennis.
I would love to hear your thoughts on this and what new initiatives your club may have made in recent times to help improve the retention/attraction of current/new members to the game.
Yet another Italian player has made himself famous by beating Novak Djokovic at Indian Wells. Luca Nardi ranked 123 in the world managed to beat his idol on a big stage in a Masters 1000 event.
He spoke after the match of how much it has helped hitting with and learning from Jannik Sinner which is obviously a factor in his success, but what are the other reasons why Italy has produced so many players high up the ATP & WTA rankings in recent years?
Two stats worth knowing are that Italy is ranked 3rd in the world with the most amount of players ranked professionally and 2nd in the world in terms of the number of coaches.
ATP Rankings - Top 100 Italy
3 Jannik Sinner
26 Lorenzo Musetti
40 Matteo Arnaldi
55 Lorenzo Sonego
62 Flavio Cobolli
73 Luciano Darderi
WTA Rankings - Top 100 Italy
14 Jasmine Paolini
53 Lucia Bronzetti
59 Martina Trevisan
60 Elisabetta Cocciaretto
100 Sara Errani
Having lived in Italy for over 10 years I was fortunate enough to compete and coach in many regions of this beautiful country. This experience helped me gain a valuable insight into how it all works and here is my list of key factors which, in my opinion, contributes to their success:
1/ Well-equipped, welcoming tennis clubs are everywhere including even in the smallest of places and usually with bubbles over the courts in the winter.
2/ The vast majority of these clubs are a place to hang out as a kid or an adult, play tennis and then have the opportunity to eat or drink in a pleasant environment. A club without good food is not a viable option in this part of the world!
3/ Clay courts are the norm which is generally considered in the coaching world to be an important factor in the skills development of young players, which is necessary to have a solid base to grow from in later teenage years. A good clay court player can learn to play on hard courts but the other way around is more difficult. Just ask Andy Roddick!
4/ Italian schools finish earlier which allows kids to head straight to the local club where they play,eat and do their homework, so parents are happy with all the boxes ticked.
5/ There is an excellent competition structure throughout the country which allows all ages to develop their competitive skills close to home and for the aspiring pros there are so many low and mid level tour events again reducing the necessity to travel quite so often. Italians also play better when able to access their own cuisine!
6/ A tennis club in Italy is not allowed to operate if providing group coaching unless they also provide physical training appropriate to the age of the child which is done in a fun way but at the same time develops the athlete. This is not the norm in UK tennis unless you are in a high performance squad. The adults too who are doing group lessons in the evenings also take part in physical training sessions as part of their routine at the club.
7/ There are experienced coaches in all parts of the country who have played and/or coached at a high level which gives them an awareness of the world game and standards required at different ages, especially if aiming for a pro career.
8/ There is a lot more private sponsorship of clubs, their teams and general infrastructure than in the UK.
Finally....
Italian tennis is booming at the moment partly due to Sinner winning the Oz Open. Having a positive role model like Jannik will help Italy produce even more top players in the years to come.
Every country is different and I am not saying we can reproduce what Italy have done, but I would say that we should always be willing to look at what we do and question why.
Learning from other countries and experienced coaches should be seen as a necessity for the development of this very difficult but wonderful game of tennis.
I would love to hear your thoughts on this and what new initiatives your club may have made in recent times to help improve the retention/attraction of current/new members to the game.
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