I Tennis Foundation is happy to announce the opening of the call for applications for the new charity project ‘Little Tennis Champions 2025-26’, targeting emerging tennis talents from Italy, Albania, Kosovo and Montenegro. At the same time, the charity is celebrating the conclusion of the ‘Intesa Sanpaolo Assicurazioni Little Tennis Champions’ programme, preceded by the Master LTC 2021-22, a four-year initiative that has trained 20 young Italian tennis players, taking them to compete in international tournaments and live unique experiences alongside great champions.

New ‘Little Tennis Champions 2025-26’ announcement

From 6 June 2025, the new call will allow 12 young athletes (6 males and 6 females, classes 2011 and 2012) and additional youngsters who will be placed as ‘alternates’, to access a technical, tactical and mental improvement course. The selection criteria reward tennis talent but pay special attention to the economic situation of the candidates: with equal talent, those who have no other support to pursue their sporting path will be chosen.

An all-round training course

The ‘Little Tennis Champions 2025-26’ project offers a one-year training course that spans several fundamental dimensions:

Technical-Tactical: The beneficiaries will follow intensive training sessions with champions and top coaches such as Simone Tartarini (Lorenzo Musetti's coach) Ivan Ljubičić (former ATP no.3 and last coach of Roger Federer and), Emilio Sanchez (former ATP no.7 in singles and 1 in doubles, captain of the Spanish Davis Cup), Omar Camporese (former ATP no.18) and Gipo Arbino (Lorenzo Sonego's historical coach).
Athletic Preparation: Targeted training sessions will be conducted by Damiano Fiorucci, Lorenzo Musetti's athletic trainer, with the aim of enhancing physical performance and endurance on the courts.
Mental Development: Special sessions with Stefano Massari will help the youngsters develop resilience, concentration and stress management, fundamental aspects in high-level competitions.

The pathway includes participation in international tournaments of the Tennis Europe circuit, and the first events will be in the summer with the project's inauguration scheduled for mid-July.

‘This project represents a great opportunity for young international tennis talents,‘ emphasises Simone Bongiovanni, co-founder of the I Tennis Foundation and team manager of the LTC project, for which he is responsible for the boys’ mental improvement pathway. ‘Our goal is to break down economic barriers and offer the selected boys a high-level pathway so that they can grow as fully as possible, both technically and humanly.

Ambassadors and coaches supporting the charity project: Jasmine Paolini, Lorenzo Musetti, Ivan Ljubicic, Simone Tartarini, Flavio Cobolli, Matteo Arnaldi, Lorenzo Sonego, Elisabetta -Cocciaretto, Lucia Bronzetti, Gipo Arbino, Vincenzo Santopadre, Omar Camporese, Francesca Schiavone.