Tennis has overtaken soccer in Italy without scoring a single goal. All it took was a racket. Driven by the explosive growth of tennis and padel, Italy’s Tennis Federation has surpassed its soccer counterpart in both membership and revenue.

“We’ve beaten soccer on the court when it comes to competitive results,” says Angelo Binaghi, 66, an engineer and former tennis player who heads the Italian Tennis and Padel Federation (FITP). “When we started, Italian tennis was in the third tier of the Davis Cup, while they were World Champions.”

Binaghi is the architect of this success, having spent years assembling the pieces of a carefully designed strategy. Under his leadership, tennis has been transformed into a thriving business. Figures from the Italian National Olympic Committee (CONI) show that the federation had 1,162,477 registered members in 2024, a remarkable milestone in the sport’s growth.

That represented 20.2% of all registered athletes across Italian sports. In 2025, membership continued to climb, surpassing 1.25 million. The Italian soccer federation, by comparison, reported 1,123,054 members, or 19.5% of the total. Volleyball, basketball and track and field trailed behind.

In a country where soccer is practically a religion, the financial implications of this shift are just as striking.

The balance of power has changed there, too. In 2025, FITP’s total production value exceeded €240 million, compared with €214 million for the soccer federation, whose figures were affected by the absence of a major international competition.

The transformation began when Binaghi took over as President in 2001, at a time when the federation had about 130,000 members. Since then, he has built major events, promoted the sport and supported a nationwide network of clubs and training programs. Over the past decade alone, membership has grown by 309%.

Major international tournaments have helped drive that expansion, with revenues reinvested in grassroots participation and player development.

The Italian Open is a prime example. In the early 2000s, the tournament was in decline. Today, it ranks among Italy’s most important sports business platforms. Rome has been joined by the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin and the Davis Cup Finals in Bologna. This year, Italy will also host the Next Gen ATP Finals in Reggio Calabria, from December 9 to 13, featuring the eight top-ranked players under 20.

For Italian racket sports, the leap forward has been remarkable — the result of a strategy grounded in planning, data analysis and careful investment. The Jannik Sinner effect has certainly played a role. The Italian star has drawn fans to the stands at Wimbledon, the US Open and the Australian Open. But the country’s success extends well beyond one player.

Sinner’s example has helped inspire a generation of competitors and a team that has won the Davis Cup three times, alongside victories for the women’s team in the Billie Jean King Cup. Italy now boasts an exceptional depth of talent, from Flavio Cobolli, who is in the running for a place at the ATP Finals in Turin, and Lorenzo Musetti to Luciano Darderi and Matteo Berrettini; from Matteo Arnaldi to Lorenzo Sonego, as well as doubles specialists Andrea Vavassori and Simone Bolelli.

The sport’s growth also rests on a broad development system, including Challenger Tournaments, more than 4,000 affiliated clubs and 2,500 tennis and padel schools, supported by 14,000 coaches. Players must be registered with the Federation to participate at affiliated clubs.

Young people follow champions. The history of sport has shown it time and again.

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