Binaghi: “Cobolli can do it, the final is a celebration. Now the whole world envies us”

Another Slam final, another Italian to compete for it, and the news is that his name is not Jannik Sinner. Flavio Cobolli is yet another demonstration of Italian tennis that works, the success of the Italian system that is reaping its sweetest fruits. Angelo Binaghi, president of the Italian Tennis and Padel Federation, will be in the stands to witness another extraordinary event for Italian rackets.

President, this Italy of tennis continues to amaze the world: what do you expect from Flavio Cobolli’s final?

“I expect liveliness and battle, the desire to live the most important match of his career to the end, on an extraordinary stage and with nothing to lose. Cobolli is going through a moment of great form, against the strongest possible opponent, given the absence of Sinner and Alcaraz. With Zverev he has already won once, so he can play. It will still be a celebration, because it is his celebration.”

Which can also be seen clearly on television.

“It is our victory to have managed to convince the Government to impose, starting from the next contracts, therefore from 2029, the obligation to broadcast all the semi-finals and finals of the Grand Slams and the 1000 in which an Italian is present. And then there is the public service offered by our channel, SuperTennis, whose impact in Italy has always been underestimated and which broadcasts the US Open, the Davis Cup, the Bjk Cup and the tournaments of the women’s circuit. Despite it being a public service without no cost to the State, no one says we’re good: never mind. No one can admit that tennis in Italy has developed at all levels, especially thanks to our television, but this is also an advantage because our tennis will continue to grow more and more compared to other sports in the coming years”.

Everyone wonders: what is the Italians’ secret?

“There are no secrets other than the work and vision that everyone abroad envies us. And to think that there were those who spoke of tennis as a sport that wasn’t good for Italians, then that it wasn’t possible to learn from us and we had to rely on foreign academies. Here the world has turned upside down. We have dispelled a taboo. What they told us 20-30 years ago was all wrong, we have proven it.”

And now kids dream of becoming tennis players…

“Good, because we also saw during the Internationals the data demonstrating how good tennis is for health and the savings for the national health service are the highest possible among all other sports disciplines. There is a need to adapt facilities, not just the central courts where we play our biggest events which are sold out. By the way: in the first week of sales for next year’s Italian Internationals, we sold two thirds of the tickets for the final…”.

And work on the roofing of the Central Station is about to start.

“As you know, we are not the ones who govern the facility, it is under concession to Sport e Salute. If all goes well, the 2028 edition will be the first with the retractable roof. They also told us that, if all goes well, it will be possible from next year instead to take advantage of the increase in the capacity of the facility. It’s about 15 years late, but better late than never and we hope that the works proceed according to plan…”.

At least there won’t be any unpleasant coincidences between Serie A and Internazionali matches, Finals and Davis…

“Finally some good news on that front too, I publicly thanked Simonelli and De Siervo. I believe that this choice in compiling the Serie A calendars is also good for the fans, absolutely, because there are many who follow both disciplines. And then I believe that it can also benefit football, because to begin to rebuild a path and recover what has been lost, we also need to be less self-referential and realize the context in which we operate. It is from these decisions that we must start again to re-establish a sport which in Italy is part of history and society”.

Meanwhile, in 2028 the calendar will be enriched with a new tournament, this time on grass. Has the location been defined?

“We will presumably do it in the North. In the next few weeks we have to choose exactly where, but our medium-term objective is Milan. It is not possible that for a federation, for a movement like ours, with such great growth and which has more than half of its catchment area in Northern Italy, that none of our stable activities do not have the industrial capital of the country as a reference.”

Is the idea of ​​bringing the Finals to Milan always valid?

“We have happily completed a long discussion with the Ministry of Sport, which I thank, to establish a framework, compatible with the new law and with the contract previously signed with the ATP, within which to discuss with Sport and Health. We are waiting for Sport and Health to share this document with us and so it will be possible to understand if we can be beneficiaries of the contribution provided for by law. This is the first step and then we will discuss with the Government where to hold this event in the future”.