Beach tennis

Last updated
Beach tennis
NYLB08 3620.jpg
Players on action
Highest governing body International Federation Beach Tennis, Also International Tennis Federation
First playedc. 1972 in Italy
Characteristics
Contactnone
Team memberssingles and doubles
Mixed-sex yes, separate tours and mixed doubles
Type racket sport
Equipmentrackets, balls and net
Venueoutdoor
Presence
Country or regionWorldwide

Beach tennis is a game combining elements of tennis and volleyball and played on a beach.

Contents

Overview

Beach tennis is played in over 50 countries and by more than half a million people, with its greatest popularity occurring in Italy, Brazil and Spain. Beach tennis offers a highly aerobic cardio workout with low impact to the knees and joints because it is played on sand.

The sport preserves most of the rules and scoring of traditional tennis, but the ball is not allowed to touch the ground, and other modifications have been made to adapt to movement around the sand court and to the faster pace of the game. The game is played entirely with volleys, which makes for a quicker game than does traditional tennis. Points start with a serve and end when the ball touches the ground, forcing players to dive to reach difficult plays in a similar manner used by volleyball players. The objective is to return the ball with only one hit so that it reaches the opposing side of the net.

A depressurized tennis ball, which travels more slowly through the air than does a regulation tennis ball, is used for beach tennis to allow for longer rallies. The sport is usually played by two-person teams on a regulation beach-volleyball court with a 5-foot-7-inch-high net. [1]

Beach tennis rackets and balls Rackets Beach Tennis.jpg
Beach tennis rackets and balls

History

Beach tennis emerged in Italy in the early 1970s when tennis players on vacation in Lido degli Estensi, in the Ferrara town of Comacchio, played using their rackets and the existing volleyball nets already installed on the beach. [2] [3] The game was played for the first time with its current set of rules in Torredembarra, Spain in 1976. The first championship was played in Torredembarra in 1978. Since then (with few interruptions), it takes place on the same beach every year. Over the years, the sport spread to the beaches along the coast of Italy, and it is estimated that there are now more than 1,600 beach-tennis nets along the Italian coast in addition to a growing number of inland and indoor courts. There are an estimated 250,000 Italian beach tennis players.

The international spread

Beach tennis arrived on the beaches of Rio de Janeiro around 2008, and the sport now dominates about one-third of the beach-volleyball courts along the Brazilian coast, and there are more than 50,000 beach tennis players in Brazil. Most Brazilian tennis clubs have converted, or are converting, at least one traditional tennis court into a few beach-tennis courts.

Though originally played only on beaches, beach tennis is now played at tennis clubs, indoor beach tennis/volleyball warehouses, country clubs, resorts, gyms and sand arenas.

Some[ who? ] believe that the sport is entering its golden age following its recognition by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) in 2010. The ITF now manages the most well-known and reputable international ranking of beach-tennis players. The ITF is allocating resources to the development of the sport and has set up exposition sand courts at professional tennis tournaments such as the Japan Open, Roland-Garros, the Australian Open and the US Open.

Top tennis players who have played beach tennis include Maria Sharapova, Serena Williams, Victoria Azarenka, Andy Murray, the Bryan brothers, Rafael Nadal and Gustavo Kuerten.[ citation needed ]

The ITF also supports beach tennis by sanctioning tournaments. In 2013, the ITF began to organize regional and world championships. By 2015, 89 official sanctioned tournaments were held worldwide annually, and thousands more unofficial tournaments are held around the world each year. In 2015 the Pan-American games were held in Santos, São Paulo, Brazil, with participants from 16 countries. Also in 2015, a team championship tournament was held in Moscow with participants from 28 countries, with adult, junior, male and female teams

In the United States

Beach tennis was formalized in the United States in 2005 by Marc Altheim, [4] who discovered the sport on a trip to Aruba in 2003. [4] The sport had been played there since 2000, [4] having been introduced by a Dutchman. [5] As of 2007, beach tennis had made progress toward acceptance as a mainstream sport, with an official standards organization known as Beach Tennis USA (BT USA). In 2007, BT USA reached television deals with the Tennis Channel and SNY, but the organization is no longer active. The Beach Tennis Association currently maintains player rankings and operates tournaments in Southern California. [6]

ITF Beach Tennis World Championship

Men's

Year [a] ChampionRunner-up Score in the final [b] Semifinalists
2009 Flag of Italy.svg Riccardo De Filippi
Flag of Italy.svg Marco Ludovici
Flag of Italy.svg Luca Meliconi
Flag of Italy.svg Paolo Tazzari
6–2, 6–2 Flag of Italy.svg Stefano Fiore / Flag of Italy.svg Luca Giavanni
Flag of Italy.svg Alan Maldini / Flag of Italy.svg Cristiano Menighini
2010 Flag of Italy.svg Alan Maldini
Flag of Italy.svg Luca Meliconi
Flag of Italy.svg Massimiliano Corzani
Flag of Italy.svg Luigi Mazzarone
6–4, 6–2 Flag of Italy.svg Francesco Ercoli / Flag of Italy.svg Cristiano Menighini
Flag of Italy.svg Alessandro Calbucci / Flag of Brazil.svg Alex Mingozzi
2011 Flag of Italy.svg Alessandro Calbucci
Flag of Italy.svg Luca Meliconi
Flag of Italy.svg Marco Ludovici
Flag of Italy.svg Gullio Petrucci
6–2, 6–1 Flag of Italy.svg Michele Cappelletti / Flag of Italy.svg Luca Carli
Flag of Italy.svg Fabrizio Avantaggiato / Flag of Italy.svg Luca Cramarossa
2012 Flag of Italy.svg Marco Garavini
Flag of Italy.svg Paolo Tazzari
Flag of Italy.svg Alessandro Calbucci
Flag of Italy.svg Luca Meliconi
6–2, 7–6(4) Flag of Italy.svg Marco Faccini / Flag of Brazil.svg Alex Mingozzi
Flag of Italy.svg Luca Cramarossa / Flag of Italy.svg Alex Maldini
2013 Flag of Italy.svg Alessandro Calbucci
Flag of Italy.svg Marco Garavini
Flag of Italy.svg Michele Cappelletti
Flag of Italy.svg Luca Carli
7–6(7), 6–0 Flag of Italy.svg Luca Cramarossa / Flag of Italy.svg Niccolo Strano
Flag of Italy.svg Matteo Marighella / Flag of Italy.svg Luca Meliconi
2014 Flag of Italy.svg Alessandro Calbucci
Flag of Italy.svg Marco Garavini
Flag of Italy.svg Luca Cramarossa
Flag of Italy.svg Luca Meliconi
7–5, 6–2 Flag of Italy.svg Matteo Marighella / Flag of Italy.svg Niccolo Strano
Flag of Italy.svg Michele Cappelletti / Flag of Italy.svg Luca Carli
2015Not held
2016 Flag of Italy.svg Michele Cappelletti
Flag of Italy.svg Luca Carli
Flag of Italy.svg Davide Benussi
Flag of Italy.svg Alessia Chiodoni
6–3, 6–1 Flag of Russia.svg Nikita Burmakin / Flag of Italy.svg Dennis Valmori
Flag of Brazil.svg Marcus Ferreira / Flag of Brazil.svg Thales Santos
2017 Flag of Italy.svg Michele Cappelletti
Flag of Italy.svg Luca Carli
Flag of Italy.svg Luca Cramarossa
Flag of Italy.svg Marco Garavini
6–4, 6–1 Flag of Italy.svg Doriano Beccacioli / Flag of Italy.svg Davide Benussi
Flag of Brazil.svg Ralf Abreu / Flag of Brazil.svg Diogo Carneiro
2018 Flag of Italy.svg Mikael Alessi
Flag of Spain.svg Antomi Ramos Viera
Flag of Russia.svg Nikita Burmakin
Flag of Italy.svg Tomasso Giovannini
7–5, 7–6(5) Flag of Italy.svg Luca Cramarossa / Flag of Italy.svg Marco Garavini
Flag of Italy.svg Michele Cappelletti / Flag of Italy.svg Luca Carli
2019 Flag of Italy.svg Alessandro Calbucci
Flag of Italy.svg Michele Cappelletti
Flag of Russia.svg Nikita Burmakin
Flag of Italy.svg Tomasso Giovannini
6–3, 6–0 Flag of Venezuela.svg Ramón Guedez / Flag of Aruba.svg Aksel Samardzic
Flag of France.svg Nicolas Gianotti / Flag of Spain.svg Antomi Ramos Viera
2021 Flag of Russia.svg Nikita Burmakin
Flag of Italy.svg Tomasso Giovannini
Flag of Italy.svg Doriano Beccaccioli
Flag of Italy.svg Mattia Spoto
6–2, 4–6, [10–7] Flag of France.svg Nicolas Gianotti / Flag of France.svg Théo Irigaray
Flag of Brazil.svg André Baran / Flag of Brazil.svg Vinicius Font
2022 Flag of Italy.svg Michele Cappelletti
Flag of Spain.svg Antomi Ramos Viera
Flag of France.svg Nicolas Gianotti
Flag of Italy.svg Mattia Spoto
3–6, 6–2, [10–7] Flag of Brazil.svg André Baran / Flag of Russia.svg Nikita Burmakin
Flag of Brazil.svg Allan Oliveira / Flag of Brazil.svg Thales Santos
2023 Flag of Italy.svg Mattia Spoto
Flag of France.svg Nicolas Gianotti
Flag of Italy.svg Michele Cappelletti
Flag of Spain.svg Antomi Ramos Viera
7–5, 6–2 Flag of Brazil.svg Thales Santos / Flag of France.svg Théo Irigaray
Flag of Venezuela.svg Ramón Guedez / Flag of Venezuela.svg Carlos Vigón
2024 Flag of Brazil.svg André Baran
Flag of Italy.svg Michele Cappelletti
Flag of France.svg Nicolas Gianotti
Flag of Italy.svg Mattia Spoto
6–2, 2–6, [10–6] Flag of Italy.svg Diego Bollettinari / Flag of Venezuela.svg Carlos Vigón
Flag of France.svg Mathieu Guegano / Flag of Brazil.svg Hugo Russo

Women's

Year [a] ChampionRunner-up Score in the final [b] Semifinalists
2009 Flag of Italy.svg Simona Briganti
Flag of Italy.svg Rosa Stefanelli
Flag of Italy.svg Franca Bruschi
Flag of Italy.svg Laura Olivieri
1–6, 7–5, 6–2 Flag of Brazil.svg Joana Cortez / Flag of Brazil.svg Aline Sokolik
Flag of Italy.svg Claudia Di Marco / Flag of Italy.svg Elena Vianello
2010 Flag of Italy.svg Federica Bacchetta
Flag of Italy.svg Giulia Spazzoli
Flag of Italy.svg Giorgia Gadoni
Flag of Italy.svg Rosa Stefanelli
3–6, 6–3, 6–1 Flag of Italy.svg Simona Briganti / Flag of Italy.svg Laura Olivieri
Flag of Italy.svg Simona Bonadonna / Flag of Italy.svg Sara Petrolesi
2011 Flag of Italy.svg Simona Briganti
Flag of Italy.svg Laura Olivieri
Flag of Italy.svg Simona Bonadonna
Flag of Italy.svg Eva D'Elia
7–5, 6–4 Flag of Italy.svg Federica Bacchetta / Flag of Italy.svg Giulia Spazzoli
Flag of Brazil.svg Samanta Barijan / Flag of Brazil.svg Joana Cortez
2012 Flag of Italy.svg Simona Briganti
Flag of Italy.svg Laura Olivieri
Flag of Italy.svg Federica Bacchetta
Flag of Italy.svg Giulia Spazzoli
6–4, 4–6, 6–4 Flag of Italy.svg Sofia Cimatti / Flag of Italy.svg Veronica Visani
Flag of Italy.svg Simona Bonadonna / Flag of Italy.svg Eva D'Elia
2013 Flag of Italy.svg Sofia Cimatti
Flag of Italy.svg Veronica Visani
Flag of Italy.svg Giorgia Gadoni
Flag of Italy.svg Camilla Ponti
7–6(2), 7–6(4) Flag of Italy.svg Arianna Carli / Flag of Italy.svg Flaminia Daina
Flag of Venezuela.svg Patricia Díaz / Flag of Italy.svg Natascia Sciolti
2014 Flag of Italy.svg Federica Bacchetta
Flag of Italy.svg Sofia Cimatti
Flag of Italy.svg Martina Corbara
Flag of Italy.svg Camilla Ponti
7–5, 4–6, 6–1 Flag of Italy.svg Violante Battistella / Flag of Italy.svg Michella Zanaboni
Flag of France.svg Marie-Eve Hoarau / Flag of France.svg Mathilde Hoarau
2015Not held
2016 Flag of Brazil.svg Joana Cortez
Flag of Brazil.svg Rafaella Miller
Flag of Italy.svg Eva D'Elia
Flag of Italy.svg Giulia Gasparri
2–6, 6–2, 6–3 Flag of Italy.svg Camilla Ponti / Flag of Italy.svg Ninny Valentini
Flag of Russia.svg Daria Churakova / Flag of Russia.svg Irina Glimakova
2017 Flag of Italy.svg Federica Bacchetta
Flag of Italy.svg Giulia Gasparri
Flag of Italy.svg Sofia Cimatti
Flag of Italy.svg Flaminia Daina
6–3, 5–7, 6–4 Flag of Italy.svg Eva D'Elia / Flag of Italy.svg Veronica Visani
Flag of Brazil.svg Joana Cortez / Flag of Brazil.svg Rafaella Miller
2018 Flag of Italy.svg Federica Bacchetta
Flag of Italy.svg Giulia Gasparri
Flag of Italy.svg Sofia Cimatti
Flag of Italy.svg Flaminia Daina
2–6, 6–4, 6–3 Flag of Germany.svg Maraike Biglmaier / Flag of Brazil.svg Rafaella Miller
Flag of Italy.svg Eva D'Elia / Flag of Italy.svg Veronica Visani
2019 Flag of Germany.svg Maraike Biglmaier
Flag of Brazil.svg Rafaella Miller
Flag of Italy.svg Sofia Cimatti
Flag of Italy.svg Giulia Gasparri
6–3, 1–6, 7–5 Flag of Italy.svg Eva D'Elia / Flag of Italy.svg Veronica Visani
Flag of Italy.svg Flaminia Daina / Flag of Italy.svg Nicole Nobile
2020Not held
2021 Flag of Italy.svg Giulia Gasparri
Flag of Italy.svg Ninny Valentini
Flag of Venezuela.svg Patricia Díaz
Flag of Brazil.svg Rafaella Miller
6–2, 6–3 Flag of Italy.svg Sofia Cimatti / Flag of Italy.svg Nicole Nobile
Flag of Brazil.svg Joana Cortez / Flag of Italy.svg Flaminia Daina
2022 Flag of Italy.svg Giulia Gasparri
Flag of Italy.svg Ninny Valentini
Flag of Venezuela.svg Patricia Díaz
Flag of Brazil.svg Rafaella Miller
7–5, 6–4 Flag of Brazil.svg Vitoria Marchezini / Flag of Brazil.svg Marcela Vita
Flag of Italy.svg Sofia Cimatti / Flag of Italy.svg Nicole Nobile
2023 Flag of Venezuela.svg Patricia Díaz
Flag of Brazil.svg Rafaella Miller
Flag of Spain.svg Ariadna Costa
Flag of Italy.svg Elena Francesconi
6–1, 6–1 Flag of Brazil.svg Julia Nogueira / Flag of Brazil.svg Marcela Vita
Flag of Italy.svg Veronica Casadei / Flag of Italy.svg Greta Giusti
2024 Flag of Venezuela.svg Patricia Díaz
Flag of Brazil.svg Rafaella Miller
Flag of Italy.svg Giulia Gasparri
Flag of Italy.svg Ninny Valentini
7–5, 6–4Flag placeholder.svg Elizaveta Kudinova / Flag placeholder.svg Anastasiia Semenova
Flag of Italy.svg Veronica Casadei / Flag of Spain.svg Ariadna Costa

ITF Beach Tennis World Team Championship

EventGoldSilverBronze
2013Flag of Brazil.svg  Brazil Flag of Italy.svg  Italy Flag of Russia.svg  Russia
2014Flag of Italy.svg  Italy Flag of Brazil.svg  Brazil Flag of Russia.svg  Russia
2015Flag of Italy.svg  Italy Flag of Russia.svg  Russia Flag of Spain.svg  Spain
2016Flag of Russia.svg  Russia Flag of Italy.svg  Italy Flag of France.svg  France
2017Flag of Italy.svg  Italy Flag of Brazil.svg  Brazil Flag of Russia.svg  Russia
2018Flag of Brazil.svg  Brazil Flag of Italy.svg  Italy Flag of Russia.svg  Russia
2019Flag of Brazil.svg  Brazil Flag of Russia.svg  Russia Flag of Italy.svg  Italy
2021Flag of Brazil.svg  Brazil Flag of Italy.svg  Italy Flag of Spain.svg  Spain
2022Flag of Italy.svg  Italy Flag of Brazil.svg  Brazil Flag of Venezuela.svg  Venezuela
2023Flag of Italy.svg  Italy Flag of Brazil.svg  Brazil Flag of Spain.svg  Spain

Notes

  1. 1 2 Each year is linked to an article about that particular year's draw.
  2. 1 2 The dash means that the result or score is unknown because there are no available sources for this information.
     † indicates #1 ranking.

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References

  1. ""ITF:A guide to Beach Tennis"". ITF. June 12, 2020. Retrieved July 21, 2021.
  2. "FIT - Beach Tennis". Archived from the original on 9 September 2011. Retrieved 23 October 2011.
  3. "Copia archiviata". Archived from the original on 27 September 2010. Retrieved 23 October 2011.
  4. 1 2 3 "ITF Partners with Beach Tennis USA". RSI Magazine. Racquet Sports Industry. June 17, 2010. Archived from the original on 22 August 2012. Retrieved 13 June 2012.
  5. "Start a racket in the sand". The Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on 2 February 2014. Retrieved 13 June 2012.
  6. "Contact". Beach Tennis Association U.S. Rankings & Tournaments. Retrieved 2021-10-25.