Earlier than gamers get pleasure from glory on the ATP Tour, they need to first move the ATP Challenger Tour. One of many longest-running Italian Challenger tournaments, the Serena Wines 1881 – Acqua Maniva Tennis Cup, which is celebrating its twentieth anniversary this week, has witnessed this primary hand. The Challenger 75 occasion has hosted world-class gamers earlier than they grew to become family names.
World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz was a finalist in Cordenons simply three years in the past as a 17 12 months outdated. In 2013, Pablo Carreno Busta was topped champion two weeks after he cracked the High 100 of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings for the primary time.
Although followers have seen a plethora of expertise come by way of Cordenons, event director Serena Raffin has additionally endured by way of hardship to proceed the event. In 2013, her father and event founder Eddi Raffin suffered a coronary heart assault, passing away aged 61. Whereas the occasion celebrates the 20-year milestone this week, the reminiscence of Eddi lives on.
“It’s particular as a result of I really feel he’s with me. It’s a wierd feeling. I really feel he’s happy with me,” Serena stated. “I assumed it was inconceivable, however nothing is inconceivable. You’ll be able to at all times attempt to discover a completely different resolution. We discovered it and I feel my father is blissful.”
Eddi and Serena Raffin. Credit score: Raffin Household
Eddi casted a imaginative and prescient to host tournaments in Italy and little did he understand how a lot the Cordenons Challenger would impression the Friuli Venezia Giulia area. It’s now seen as the large occasion in that area and followers can catch a glimpse of professional tennis for simply six euros.
When Eddi handed ten years in the past, Serena determined to hold on the custom. She put collectively a group and took on a big duty to change into the event director. In 2013, simply months after Eddi’s passing, the Cordenons Challenger nonetheless befell.
“I don’t understand how we managed to organise the event that 12 months,” Raffin stated. “After that, it grew to become greater than every week of tennis. It grew to become one thing that we can not cease doing as a result of it could be unhealthy for his reminiscence. It’s good to assume it’s been 20 years and a bit unhappy to consider 10 years with out my father. But additionally it’s a delight to hold on this custom.”
Out of 24 lively Challenger tournaments in Italy, Cordenons is the third longest-running occasion (Barletta, Rome). Three gamers competed in Cordenons earlier than ascending to the High 10 of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings: Alcaraz, Carreno Busta and Mariano Puerta.
The previous two champions, Zhang Zhizhen (2022) and Francisco Cerundolo (2021), have since graduated to the ATP Tour. In 2020, Bernabe Zapata Miralles received the title, defeating Alcaraz within the championship match, which was the 20-year-old’s lone closing loss on the Challenger degree (4-1).
Two residence heroes have received in Cordenons: Filippo Volandri (2008) and Paolo Lorenzi, who triumphed in 2012 and in 2018.
“I at all times had good recollections. I at all times had a particular bond there,” Lorenzi stated. “The primary 12 months I received there, Eddi was the event director. It was superb to win once more when Serena was the event director. What I keep in mind essentially the most was the gang. As a result of each time I used to be taking part in in Cordenons, from the primary spherical it was full of individuals supporting me quite a bit.”
Italian Riccardo Bonadio, who was born and raised 15 miles from Cordenons, emphasised the significance of the occasion. Seeded third this week in Cordenons, Bonadio is taking part in the occasion for the sixth consecutive 12 months.
“I used to be born right here so I do know concerning the situation of tennis on this area and that is the principle event of this area,” Bonadio stated. “It’s an enormous alternative for individuals to observe tennis as a result of we don’t have a number of occasions like this one. It’s 20 years that they’ve been doing this event and I hope they are going to do it for extra time.”
Former World No. 33 Lorenzi, who’s now the Cagliari Challenger event director, additionally stated: “Serena, congratulations for these 20 years of the Cordenons Challenger. You and your group made an incredible job for me, I at all times liked taking part in there. I miss not taking part in there. I want to you and your group one other 20, 30 years of this event.”
-Reporting contributed by Josh Meiseles
from Tennis – ATP World Tour https://ift.tt/XoHZYv6
