President Binaghi visits the Olbia Challenger

Just minutes before the semi-finals of the Olbia Challenger began, TC Terranova received a visit from Angelo Binaghi, President of the Italian Tennis and Padel Federation. The federation's president toured the new venue for the event, organized by Mef Tennis Events with the Gallura club, and greeted the remaining players, including Luca Nardi and his coach, Renzo Furlan, with whom he exchanged a few words.

With the Nitto ATP Finals and the Davis Cup just around the corner, numerous issues are on the FITP's agenda. The final rounds before the big event in Turin will be crucial for Flavio Cobolli's qualification. He currently sits fifth in the Race and is therefore very close to qualifying for the season-ending Masters for the first time. "Cobolli in Turin? He's taking up an important role, although I believe Jannik Sinner's achievements are a story unto themselves," Binaghi said. "Flavio was the protagonist of an extraordinary season, capped by the Roland Garros final, which perhaps could have gone differently. If he were to qualify, he would be the fourth Italian player in the six years this tournament has been held on our soil. When we won the opportunity to host the Nitto ATP Finals, we hoped to see at least one Italian participate. We've already had three (Matteo Berrettini, Sinner himself, and Lorenzo Musetti), plus Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori in doubles. I think it's a good snapshot of our current situation; it means we've achieved even more than we hoped."
Despite the excellent overall form, many Italian players were forced to sit out the second half of the season, with Sinner sidelining his left knee and Musetti's muscular issues impacting his 2026 campaign: "Unfortunately, the second half of the year was a difficult one. Sinner, Paolini, Cocciaretto, and Musetti were plagued by injuries. After the Nitto ATP Finals and the Davis Cup, the season will end, and there will be time to recover. We hope everyone will be in better health next year. Are there many Italian players? There have always been quite a few, but the most significant aspect these days is that they're playing better than before, and therefore the average level has improved."
Another major end-of-season event is the Davis Cup, where captain Filippo Volandri's squad will be called upon to defend the title they've won in the last three editions: "I know Alcaraz said he'd like to win the World Cup, but who wouldn't? We're currently suffering from aches and pains, but the bench is so deep that there's still plenty of choice. I think Filippo will choose the players who are in the best shape, looking at the final tournaments between now and Bologna. Winning a fourth consecutive Davis Cup would almost be an exaggeration, but we'll try," emphasizes president Binaghi. Despite the prestigious events in Turin and Bologna, joined by Reggio Calabria, which will host the Next Gen ATP Finals featuring the world's best under-21 players, there's already room to think about the future: "First, we need to set up this new ATP 250 grass-court tournament, which will be held in northern Italy starting in June 2028. Since it will be played on natural grass, the timeframe isn't that great, and we'll need to start working on it soon, in addition to consolidating all the other events we already have. We also need to ask for the organization of some major tournaments for people with disabilities, which is perhaps the competition we're currently lacking. Of course, I'm not forgetting that our goal is always to grow our assets, starting with the Internazionali BNL d'Italia." After his visit to TC Terranova, Binaghi also praised the club's improved spaces and expanded facilities, home to the Challenger 125, which concludes tomorrow: "I've seen significant progress and changes to the club, which I believe is now the largest in northern Sardinia in terms of the number of courts. This parallels the progress the Terranova club is making in various areas, including the promotion of the Challenger, which completes its program. It's therefore right that the facility expands, just as it's positive that we're starting to talk about a multipurpose club, capable of hosting not only dual-surface tennis but also padel and, hopefully, pickleball in the future."