HEC Tennis Challenge, Where Champions Play
It is one of the very few major tournaments that Roger Federer has never won. On the contrary, it is one of those competitions in which his great rival Rafael Nadal has triumphed most often. In the golden book of the Master 1000 of Monte Carlo are collected the names of some of the greatest champions of all time, from Borg to Lendl, from Djokovic to Vilas, Wilander and many others. In this spectacular setting, with the clay courts of the Country Club looking over the sea of the Principality, tennis players from six European universities, including Bocconi, will meet from 6 to 8 October in the HEC Clay Court Challenge International Tournament.
Playing will be Marco Maiorana (FIT standings 2.6), Andrea Cattaneo (2.8), Jacopo De Maio (3.4) for the men's team, and Elena Cortimiglia (2.8), Francesca Andreta (3.5), Benedetta Introna (3.4), for the women's one, to represent the emblem of the Pelican in Monte Carlo and to face some of the best students / tennis players in the continent. "In this tournament, the level of play is often very high," says the team leader Amanda Gesualdi, "both male and female players with ATP points are often involved, including those in positions between 500 and 1.000 in the world rankings. It is not possible to forecast the outcomes at this time."
With his classic game style, characterized by one- handed backhands, often sliced, to approach the net, Andrea Cattaneo, enrolled in the second year of the Cleacc, dives with enthusiasm in this adventure, the first at an international level with the University team: "It is hard to make predictions without knowing the opponents, but we will surely give all our best, because playing at such a venue is already stimulating by itself . "Despite my offensive game, clay court is the surface I prefer," explains Andrea, who, although plays at competitive levels with variable intensity depending on his university commitments, has accumulated points to pass 2.7 in the meantime.
"I am from Savona, and the Monte Carlo tournament has been a regular event for several years to me," explains Francesca Andreta, who is a second year student in the Marketing Management program, "and it is unbelievable to think that in a few days we will be the protagonists on the court. Clay court is my favorite surface and I finally have the chance to play on it in a major tournament, as collegial championships are usually played at a fast pace." The goals are difficult to identify even for the female team, as the opponents are still unknown at the moment, "but we know that the level has always been high in the previous editions. We are determined to win, but we will certainly give all our best. Then, if we will face some of the champions who train here regularly, it will be even nicer."