Tennis in Florence: history of one of the oldest tennis clubs in Italy

The Florence Tennis Club has a long history and a key role in this. Established in 1898 on the initiative of 30 founding members, some Florentine, some English, the Circolo was the first in Italy to let women compete in 1902. It was also here that in 1910 representatives from the 12 major Italian associations met to lay the groundwork for what is today the Federazione Italiana Tennis; its first president was the Florentine Piero Antinori.

The tennis club has maintained its location inside the magnificent Cascine Park; over the years it has evolved continuously, hosting major tennis tournaments and now counting 10 clay tennis courts, two with synthetic surfaces, one polyvalent court and another dedicated to futsal, in addition to a pool and restaurant located within an iconic classical-style palazzo. Since 2004, it has also been part of the Club dei Centenari, which counts just over 30 associations, including some of the most beautiful and important in the world.

For decades, the Torneo Internazionale di Firenze (Florence International Tournament) was held here, a highly regarded tennis event; throughout the years, some of the world’s top tennis players have participated in this event, until 1994 when the tournament was interrupted due to a management decision. Since then the main event has been the Torneo Internazionale Under 18 (International Under-18 Tournament), known as the Città di Firenze, which brings together young talents from all around the globe and is one of the main tournaments of its kind. It’s no coincidence that among the winners of past editions are standout athletes like Jennifer Capriati and Roger Federer.

Florence awaits you, not only for tennis

Can you hear the red soil of the Renaissance city calling you already? Good: Florence awaits you for six days of major excitement.