Tennis, the press room of the Internationals named after Gianni Clerici

ROME – The Press Room of the International Bnl of Italy entitled to Gianni Clerici. The Tennis / Padel Federation wanted to pay homage to the great Scribe who died a year ago: the journalist, the writer who for at least six decades has described tennis as no one had ever done before: irony, taste, class, elegance and literature. In addition to a competence that came from having played, therefore from possessing the technical gesture. Which he, having started with the looks and the white balls, called ‘Gesti Bianchi’.

Today Gianni is no longer here, but the institutions have not forgotten him (after all, the president of Fitp, Angelo Binaghiimmediately anticipated the intention of dedicating the press room to him) e Vito Cozzoli (president of Sport and Health), with the president Giuliano Amato and Nicola Pietrangeli made the event official. With a further presence, that of the mayor of Jesi, Lorenzo Fiordelmondowhich allowed – together with the Club of the whales (Vice-President Carla Saveri was present) – a real historical ‘gem’: the exhibition of the Balette that the Jesi Museum preserves in the sample gallery of the Foro Italico.

This, the balette club, was the last mission that Gianni Clerici had given himself, after having been – in the words of Nicola Pietrangeli – the Indiana Jones of tennis, always on the lookout for artifacts that would bring to light the history of the world of racquets . Until, in fact, the rediscovery of the balette: the grandmothers of tennis balls. Instrument of Real Tennis, which is still practiced in some very select areas of the world.

Returning to tennis, naming a Press Room after Gianni Clerici could not have been a more correct choice. Because if many have known him for his commentary with Rino Tommasi (the other great Italian tennis journalism), in reality Gianni has reached lyrical peaks with his articles, which still remain a great inspiration for the younger generations.