Italy’s sports landscape has shifted as tennis officially surpassed football in national licensing numbers for the first time in history. Data published by La Gazzetta dello Sport shows the Italian Tennis and Padel Federation (FITP) reached 1,162,477 registered members, edging past the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) and its 1,123,054 registered participants.
How the federation built a nation of tennis players
The milestone reflects decades of deliberate infrastructure investment by the FITP. Over the past 25 years, the governing body poured resources into constructing new courts, expanding tennis schools, and increasing the total number of coaches across the country. At the same time, the federation multiplied the volume of international events hosted on Italian soil across both the men’s and women’s professional tours.
Jannik Sinner and a deep generation of Italian stars
On the international stage, the sport’s domestic boom has been spearheaded by Jannik Sinner. The 25-year-old ATP standout has captured five Grand Slam titles, driving global visibility for Italian tennis. Sinner is backed by a deep cohort of compatriots establishing themselves near the top of the sport, including Flavio Cobolli—who is ranked 6th and finished as runner-up at the most recent Roland-Garros—alongside Lorenzo Musetti, Matteo Arnaldi, and Matteo Berrettini.
Fait qui n'est certainement pas à prendre à la légère : Pour la 1ère fois dans l'histoire, la Fédération italienne de 𝗧𝗘𝗡𝗡𝗜𝗦 compte PLUS DE LICENCIÉS que la Fédération italienne de 𝗙𝗢𝗢𝗧𝗕𝗔𝗟𝗟. 😳 🇮🇹⚽ Tennis : 1 162 477 licenciés🎾 Foot : 1 123 054 licenciés… pic.twitter.com/v6m71DxTdf
The contrast with Italian football’s struggles
While Serie A remains competitive in European club football—holding the second-highest coefficient points total behind England and ahead of Spain, bolstered by Inter Milan reaching the final in 2023 against Manchester City and again in 2025 against Paris Saint-Germain—the national game has suffered at the international level. The four-time World Cup champion Squadra Azzurra endured failures to qualify for the FIFA World Cup, fueling a widespread sense of stagnation in the country’s traditional team sport.
