Alberto Corradi named recipient of 2021 UNIQLO Spirit Award
Alberto Corradi of Italy has been confirmed as the winner of the UNIQLO Spirit Award for 2021, with the Sri Lanka Tennis Association named as the runner-up.
Launched in 2017 by the ITF and UNIQLO, the award was created to honour an individual or organisation who embodies the principles and core values of UNIQLO, who embraces challenge in pursuit of the promotion of wheelchair tennis and is admired for their integrity and character.
As well as being an accomplished player, Corradi has been tournament director of the Sardinia Open, one of the most popular tournaments on the UNIQLO Wheelchair Tennis Tour, for many years. The Sardinia Open was a three-time winner of the ITF’s former Tournament of the Year Award, which was voted for by players and fans of wheelchair tennis.
Corradi’s leadership and the excellence of the infrastructure and the tournament team he has built around him in the city of Alghero has also seen him spearhead the organisation of the BNP Paribas World Team Cup twice in the last five years.
After originally staging a memorable edition of the ITF’s flagship wheelchair tennis team event in 2017, Alghero was due to host the European Qualification in 2020 before the event was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic. While the resumption of the tennis calendar has continued to provide many challenges and added demands for tournament organisers, the world’s leading wheelchair tennis players have returned to Alghero twice in 2021, firstly for the 21st Sardinia Open in June and then for the World Team Cup at the end of September.
Both events have again been organised to the highest standards and showcase wheelchair tennis at its best, not just to local fans, but to the wider world via the live stream and broadcasting infrastructure that Corradi has ensured is a key part of his tournaments.
Koji Yanai, Group Senior Executive Officer for UNIQLO Global Product Development and Merchandising, said: “On behalf of UNIQLO, I would like to congratulate Alberto Corradi on being the latest recipient of the UNIQLO Spirit Award and congratulate the Sri Lanka Tennis Association on also being chosen as runners-up. We are not only impressed by their long and passionate commitment to wheelchair tennis, but also by the leadership they have continued to demonstrate during the global pandemic to help ensure that the UNIQLO Wheelchair Tennis Tour has returned with a strong and diverse calendar of events.”
The Sri Lankan Tennis Association has also been recognised for its outstanding commitment to wheelchair tennis and the success of its wheelchair tennis programmes, which nurture the development of younger players as well as providing older players and wounded servicemen with a pathway to develop their athletic potential and go on and serve Sri Lanka in the sporting arena.
The success of this framework includes Sri Lanka hosting three highly popular UNIQLO Wheelchair Tennis Tour events each year and the country’s most prominent players going on to achieve considerable success as individuals while also coming together to achieve tremendous success as a team. This was particularly evident at the 2021 BNP Paribas World Team Cup, where Sri Lanka’s men’s team far exceeded their pre-tournament seeding of 15 to achieve a top six final position for the very first time.
ITF President David Haggerty also congratulated Alberto Corradi and The Sri Lanka Tennis Association on their respective awards.
“Congratulations to Alberto Corradi on receiving the UNIQLO Spirit Award for 2021 in recognition of all the fantastic work he and his team do to stage world class events that benefit our athletes and the sport as a whole," he said. "Wheelchair tennis continues to grow in popularity and status and it is thanks to the efforts of individuals like Alberto and organisations such as the Sri Lankan Tennis Association that we are confident we can continue to promote the sport and develop the game all over the world. Our thanks also go to UNIQLO for their continued contribution to wheelchair tennis and for sharing our vision for the development of the game.”
On learning of his award, Corradi said: “It is with great joy that I received the news of the UNIQLO Spirit Award. Every year my colleague Giovanna and all my team put all possible commitment and, above all, heart, into organising our events and the reception of all the people who participate in the Sardinia Open or the World Team Cup is always so very nice. The love and professionalism that we put into the tournaments each day is always warmly appreciated by all the players and their companions who continue to come to Sardinia every year.
“I, Giovanna and the whole team thank UNIQLO and the ITF for this wonderful recognition. It is not easy to organise tournaments at this time, due to the pandemic, so this award really gratifies us. We hope to be able to continue our collaboration for many years and share many more successes.”
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