Italian
The President of the Republic Sergio Mattarella met at the Quirinale with the Italian national tennis teams, both women’s and men’s, winners of the 2025 Billie Jean King Cup and the 2025 Davis Cup
ROME – A few hours before the debut in the Italian Internationals in Rome, the Italian men’s and women’s national tennis teams were received by the President of the Republic Sergio Mattarella. Inside the Hall of Festivities at the Quirinale, the two teams were able to celebrate the achievement of their second consecutive Billie Jean King Cup and their third consecutive Davis Cup.
Present at the ceremony was the team led by the Venetian Tathiana Garbin and composed of Jasmine Paolini, Elisabetta Cocciaretto, Sara Errani, Lucia Bronzetti, and Tyra Grant, who achieved in September in Shenzhen (China) the sixth success in history in the top women’s national competition, while Flavio Cobolli, Matteo Berrettini, Lorenzo Sonego, Andrea Vavassori, and Simone Bolelli, guided by captain Filippo Volandri, had triumphed in Bologna in November winning the fourth salad bowl of Italian tennis.
The President of the Italian National Olympic Committee, Luciano Buonfiglio, the President of the Italian Tennis and Padel Federation, Angelo Binaghi, and the athletes of the Italian team, Elisabetta Cocciaretto and Flavio Cobolli, attended.
The interventions
The first to speak was the President of CONI Luciano Buonfiglio:
“Mr. President of the Republic, as always thank you for the attention and affection you show towards Italian sports. Once again, we are here before you to celebrate the successes and emotions of another winning sport that is filling the homes of Italians with passion and glory. I am referring to tennis, which for some years now has been one of the leading disciplines in Italian sports.
The men’s national team, after almost 50 years of drought, has managed to win the Davis Cup three times in a row, which represents the world championship for teams. Similarly, the women’s team managed to repeat this feat a few months ago, matching the success of the previous year. A double pairing of men and women for two consecutive years is nothing short of astonishing. In history, no European nation had ever achieved this, but only two Anglo-Saxon countries had: Australia in 1964 and 1965, and the United States twice between the late Seventies and early Eighties. In fact, in the last half-century, it had never happened. And this is the measure of the greatness of this double success that we have the pleasure of celebrating today with you.
This is the second consecutive year in which Italian tennis dominates the world in the two most prestigious team competitions. An unprecedented repeat that makes us proud. These are extraordinary athletes who honor the blue jersey and are proud to defend the honor of our country. They are led by two non-playing Captains of absolute value, like Tathiana Garbin and Filippo Volandri, whom the whole world envies. And they are also envied by the protagonists who raised our beloved Tricolor high on the podium and made the Italian national anthem, Mameli’s Hymn, resonate twice, in Bologna and Shenzhen.
I think of Jasmine Paolini, Sara Errani, Elisabetta Cocciaretto, Lucia Bronzetti, and Tyra Grant in the final in China, as well as Flavio Cobolli, Matteo Berrettini, Lorenzo Sonego, Andrea Vavassori, and Simone Bolelli in the final in Bologna against Spain. But as you well know, and I often repeat on these occasions, behind these girls and boys there is an organizational system that works. Credit must be given to the Italian Tennis and Padel Federation, its President Angelo Binaghi, the federal council, and all those who operate within the structure for having established federal activities over the years as a true business, and the results, sporting, economic, and financial, are clear for all to see.
Today, the Italian Tennis Federation is a management model, one to be inspired by not only in our national landscape but also attracting attention and interest at the international level. Soon, the Italian Open will kick off in Rome, and the public’s anticipation is enormous. In the past, you have honored us with your presence. We know how busy your schedule is, but if you could find a moment, Italian sports would be delighted to welcome you in the enchanting setting of the Foro Italico. Thank you, Mr. President, for this unforgettable morning. This is the Italy that wins, this is the Italy that conveys positive messages, this is the Italy that honors our flag. These are the sisters and brothers of Italy. Thank you again, Mr. President, long live Italy, long live Italian sports.”
It was then the turn of the President of the Italian Tennis and Padel Federation Angelo Binaghi:
“Being invited to the Quirinale to celebrate the triumphs of our girls and boys represents for us the greatest possible satisfaction. It is the culmination of our journey and makes us feel that we have fully fulfilled our duty and represented our nation to the best of our ability. Thank you especially for waiting for us, for allowing these girls and boys to complete their different programs so they could prepare themselves and finally be here together today. We understood it as a gesture of great sensitivity towards us.
We have won the last five team world championships, an amazing feat. And these last two victories were true achievements, against the odds, as can be testified by Andrea Gaudenzi, our ATP President, who is present here. These were two victories built by our two captains, Tathiana Garbin and Filippo Volandri, who managed to combine the charisma, class, and experience of great players like Jasmine Paolini and Matteo Berrettini with the exuberance and grit of our best emerging young talents like Flavio Cobolli and Elisabetta Cocciaretto. These were two victories so decisive that there was no need to even field two of the strongest pairs in the world, Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini and Andrea Vavassori and Simone Bolelli, and they allowed us to rest two reigning world champions like Lorenzo Sonego and Lucia Bronzetti along with our great hope Tyra Grant.
Today we look ahead, today the BNL Internazionali d’Italia begins. We still remember the wonderful victory of Jasmine last year, a victory that she wanted to make even more significant with her presence, making us feel all the affection and support from all Italians. This year we also dream of a victory in the men’s singles, which has eluded us for 50 years. I have done my best in these 25 years but have not succeeded; you, president, came once and did the impossible with Jasmine. President, I believe it is worth drawing the appropriate logical consequences… We await you with open arms.
I believe that our movement should not stop here. We must be able to share with the Government the opportunity that Italian tennis represents today for our country, in terms of economic impact, social aspects, and reputation. We need to insist, create the conditions to grow the Internazionali BNL d’Italia, which represent a heritage of ours and of our country; we owe it to these boys and girls, their families, their teams, and to those 29 million Italians who passionately follow their achievements. We must be able to capitalize on the value, the opportunity that their victories create at this moment to leave our country a tournament that is even bigger, which brings even greater wealth to our country, and continues to do so for a long time to come.”.
It was then the turn of Elisabetta Cocciaretto: “It is an honor to nurture this dream every day and represent Italy. Every time we wear the blue jersey, we are filled with pride. There is a great sense of belonging, sharing, and pride. Winning together under the tricolor gives us national pride, being with the team is special. We are Italian in every corner of the world and we want to be an example for all the little girls who dream like us. President, your guidance is a reference and this result is a small contribution to Italy.”
He was echoed by Flavio Cobolli: “When we play the Davis Cup, we are not alone, there is a team and an entire country. This makes the difference. I thank my teammates, we are a solid and united group, even when the results don’t come. The Captain has guided us with humanity and availability, the Federation has provided the tools to get here. We will give everything to return here and celebrate ‘his’ Davis again.”
The closing to an always inspiring Sergio Mattarella who, before his speech, was honored by the two tennis players with reduced-size copies of the Billie Jean King Cup and the Davis Cup:
“The victories in the Davis Cup and the Billie Jean King Cup represent an unimaginable achievement. It shows that the first victory was not an isolated event but the result of Italian tennis being a protagonist in the world. Now we await the Internazionali di Roma and the Roland Garros, and I expect to see them thanks to your invitation; I wouldn’t want to seem like a sort of talisman because I am not at all, but the value of our tennis players, both girls and boys, allows us to look at these Internazionali with renewed and consolidated confidence. Being successful athletes and being role models for all enthusiasts evokes a responsibility, and you provide a constant example of seriousness towards the young. This reflection allows me to recall the figure of Alex Zanardi, a person of great human depth, capable of motivating young people. I believe I represent the thoughts of all by remembering that Zanardi was a figure who not only evokes affection and admiration but also a future of gratitude: these are the figures that illuminate our sport and give a sense of the importance of sport in society,” concluded the Head of State.
Photo & Video Credits: Quirinale.it
