Sinner, Musetti, Paolini: The golden generation of Italian tennis

NEW YORK: If Italy boasts the numbers, it’s with good reason.They have nine men in the ATP’s top-100, five in the top-50 and two --- Jannik Sinner and Lorenzo Mussetti --- in the top-10. A doubles team – Simone Bolleli and Andrea Vavassori—at No.6 in the race. Three women, led by the world No.8 Jasmine Paolini, in the top-100. Paolini and Sara Errani are No.1 in the doubles race.In the US Open Sinner and Musetti are on track for a highly anticipated quarterfinal showdown, exemplifying the remarkable surge of Italian tennis on the world stage.Francesca Paoletti, the media officer for the Italian Tennis and Padel Federation, says, “with the men, it’s not just numbers, the real thing is the age of the players. Outside of Lorenzo Sonego and Matteo Berrettini, who are 30 and 29, the rest are aged between 22 and 24.”
Paoletti attributes the soaring results to three key factors: coaching expertise, a well-structured tournament system, and a dedicated TV channel that has helped popularize the game.Former pro Filippo Volandri, 44, a former world No. 25, now heads Italy’s coaching setup, while also serving as the Davis Cup captain. On the women’s side, Tathiana Garbin, who reached a career-high of No. 22, leads the Billie Jean King Cup team. Italian tennis is reaping the rewards of keeping its former players involved in the systemEarlier in the year, when Paolini split with her coach Marc Lopez she turned to the federation, who paired her up with another former pro, the 33-year-old Federico Gaio.Launched in 2008, SuperTennis is a free-to-air channel operated by the national tennis federation. Since its inception, SuperTennis -- the only tennis channel fully owned and operated by a national tennis federation -- has played a pivotal role in promoting the sport across Italy. Italy — with a population of 59 million, smaller than Karnataka and nearly half that of Maharashtra — hosts three top-tier tennis tournaments. WTA and ATP 1000s (in Rome), Nitto ATP Finals (Turin) and also the Davis Cup Final, which will be in Bologna for three years. Italy has 19 ATP Challengers, besides 31 ITFs for the men and 29 for the women. They also host 10 ITF (under-18s).This tournament structure, for the most part, has been in place for at least five years. And if those numbers aren’t staggering enough, Italy has added eight WTA 125 events to its calendar this yearMusetti, the world No. 10, said he feels fortunate to have been born Italian.“The federation and the owners of the tournaments have done a really great job of having many, many tournaments in the country,” the 23-year-old said. “The good and the lucky thing for Italians is we have many tournaments at every level at home.”“In the beginning when I started out, I didn’t have a ranking, so they were helping me with wildcards. It helped me come up faster, and speeded up my entry into the tour ,” he said.Hosting these tournaments on home soil, where local players compete regularly, helps foster strong bonds among them.“We really like to stay together, even on the Tour,” Musetti said.While football remains Italy’s dominant sport, recent setbacks -- including missing the last World Cup and a lack of global icons -- have opened the door for tennis to rise. Sinner, in particular, has emerged as the nation's most popular athlete.Paoletti said, “A lot of planning has gone into the system we’ve created -- nine men in the top 100 and three women in the same bracket. We have worked very hard for this.” She added with a smile, “And Sinner? It’s also a matter of luck!”