Tennis World Foundation is a non-profit organization focusing on the development of vulnerable children through the game of tennis. Research shows that children living in poverty are more prone to abusing drugs and alcohol and engaging in risky behavior, especially when they do not have access to recreational facilities and sport. Physical education is not a priority in poor areas, further limiting children’s opportunities for sport exposure.
Our school and community-based tennis development programs promote resilience, teamwork, and leadership. We believe that tennis is more than just a game, it is a great way for boys and girls to shape their ability to cope in an unjust world and to learn the skills needed to build a successful future.
The TENNIS WORLD Foundation (TWF) was established by tennis media entrepreneur Federico Coppini. As founder and CEO of the Tennis World Magazine International, Federico is inspired to give back to poor communities and vulnerable children, through the sport that he so loves. Being a long-standing coach and father himself, he has seen the developmental benefits that tennis offers children.
Our vision is to bring together friends and schoolmates to have fun, share experiences and learn life skills. We see tennis as an opportunity to reach and impact children positively, while we identify and support the tennis stars of the future.
Malawi is a small country in sub-Saharan Africa, nestled between Zambia, Tanzania, and Mozambique. According to the latest estimates, it is the third poorest nation in the world. Only Burundi and South Sudan precede it in this sad ranking. With a per capita income of less than $400, it is nearly impossible to create and develop top-level athletes.
But there may be some light at the end of the tunnel thanks to the initiative of Federico Coppini who, in October 2021, will give a real dream to two girls from Masasa, a ghetto area of the city of Mzuzu, in the north of the country, not far from the Tanzanian border.
Italian coach Egon Taschler, formerly ranked 2.8 in the Italian ranking, has been teaching tennis in various clubs in Puster Valley (the same region from which Jannik Sinner hails) works in those parts. His strong passion for travel led him to Malawi, where he participated in a project called “Saved by the Ball”, whose goal – as the name implies – is to get children off the road thanks to sport.
The experience excited him to the point of creating a sort of Italian branch of the association, in which he raises funds and aid to provide to those who need them, without limiting himself to tennis. Taschler brings various kinds of equipment from Italy to Malawi, and buys all the products necessary for carrying out the activity, from racquets to clothes.
What Taschler is doing has also reached South Africa, where Coppini carries out conceptually similar activities with the Tennis World Foundation (www.tennisworldfoundation.com). The two met, talked, and this meeting led to the creation of a moving project that mixes the goodness of the initiative with the personal stories of two girls.
In October, Mercy Mbewe and Maggie Banda will be hosted at Coppini’s home and will be able to devote themselves to tennis full time, finding the right environment that’ll help bring out their full potential. Yes, because in Malawi there are no real tennis clubs and the sport is played on makeshift courts and structures. Continue
