Sport

Federtennis: 230 million in 2025, overtaking football

Sporting and economic successes for the Italian Tennis and Padel Federation, which this year for the first time also surpasses Figc revenues

by Marco Bellinazzo

7 January 2026

3' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

3' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

Sporting victories and economic successes: in the wake of the Italian tennis players who wrote pages of history, winning five Slams among others, the Italian Tennis and Padel Federation in 2025 recorded the highest revenues of all federations for the first time (final balance sheets will be approved in spring), including football.

The Federtennis, in fact, closed last year's accounts with a value of production of over 230 million against a turnover that for the Figc, also due to the absence of a major international event, should be just over 200 million (the 2025 budget of the Federcalcio indicates a value of production of 197 million). Already in 2024, the Federtennis came close to the top with revenues of 209 million compared to the Figc's 224 million. And in 2026, it will be crucial for Figc to reach the North American World Cup, considering that Fitp expects to exceed 250 million.

Sporting triumphs have undoubtedly contributed to the growth of tennis, raising its popularity in the Peninsula. In 2025, Jannik Sinner won the Australian Open and Wimbledon, Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini won Roland Garros in doubles, while in the Atp and Wta circuits, Italian tennis collected 11 titles, also a record, with six wins by Sinner, three by Luciano Darderi and two by Flavio Cobolli. The icing on the cake: Italy was the only country to have had representatives in all categories at the Turin Finals.

An enormity after almost half a century of sports famine. Just as remarkable has been the increase in Federtennis revenues (in 2021 the value of production was half of what it is today, and some 20 years ago it was hard to reach 50 million) and the economic impact that tennis now produces in the Peninsula (some studies speak for tennis and padel of over 8 billion annually).

A serious alternative to football

Tennis is a candidate as a serious alternative to the most popular sport in the country with 6.2 million players compared to football's 6.5 million, with 1.2 million registered members (over 200% more than in 2020), 4,465 affiliated clubs (+47% compared to 2004), 2,553 tennis and padel schools and around 15,000 coaches. Even the number of officials has increased to more than 10 thousand (200% more in 10 years). Moreover, according to the latest research by Nielsen, racquet sports (with padel, pickleball, squash, badminton) have about 20 million fans, more than volleyball, athletics, swimming, basketball and just below football (21.6 million).

A crescendo that began when the results on the court were poor and that has seen Fitp led by Angelo Binaghi promote a re-foundation in federal governance, as well as a process of transformation in a corporate management key, starting with the organisation of the Internazionali d'Italia in Rome. At the beginning of the 2000s, it was a tournament in decline, while today it has become an event capable of producing an economic impact estimated at 900 million in about two weeks, with more than 400 thousand presences and direct takings that in 2025 exceed 35 million (+22% compared to 2024), thanks also to a strategy of expanding the Foro Italico 'theatre'.

Since 2021, the Internationals have been joined by the Atp Finals and, from this year, the Davis Cup Final 8 in Bologna (with an economic impact of 144 million). The challenges between the tennis masters attracted almost 230,000 spectators to Turin this year. Between direct impact (265 million), indirect impact (226 million) and induced impact (100 million), the impact of the Nitto ATP Finals has been estimated at 591 million, almost six times more than the first edition, with a tax revenue of almost 100 million against a State contribution to the event of 13.7 million per year. It is precisely from international events that over 70% of Fitp's turnover is derived. In 2024, 157 million came from this item (33 million from members' fees and 13.5 million from Sport and Health contributions) and in 2025 it will exceed 170 million. Advertising and sponsorship (which was worth 81 million for the FIGC in 2024), on the other hand, only accounts for 1% of revenue, as tennis players are personal sponsors.

On-court victories and major events have been a driving force behind the work carried out by the Federtennis in recent years in the backroom of tricolour tennis, reducing the structure's operating costs to a minimum (which should not exceed 16 million in 2025) and redeploying, on average, more than 80% of the value of production for the development of the sector. The so-called sports 'activity costs' amounted to 182 million in 2024 and are expected to exceed 200 million in 2025 and are mainly related to the organisation of international (the largest slice) and national events, ranking prizes, training and contributions allocated to clubs and associations.