Obituary: Gianni Clerici

The ITF was saddened to learn of the death of Italian tennis journalist, historian, and broadcaster, Gianni Clerici on 6 June.

Giovanni Emilio Clerici was born on 24 July 1930 in Como, Italy, and was a successful junior tennis player, winning Italian junior titles in both 1947 and 1948. He competed in the men's singles at Wimbledon, reaching the main draw in 1953 and playing the men's doubles at the All-England Club in 1954.

But Clerici's skill as a journalist set him apart from his peers. He began his career in the media more than seven decades ago, reporting for Milan-based newspaper Il Gorno from 1951. He later joined La Repubblica in Rome, where he worked for more than 30 years. He wrote for several magazines and was the author of many books, notably an acclaimed biography of Suzanne Lenglen ('Divina') and a comprehensive tome entitled '500 Years of Tennis' ('500 Anni di Tennis').

Clerici was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2006 in recognition of his dedication to covering the sport as a journalist and broadcaster over the years.

In addition to his varied and interesting career, Clerici had a broad range of other interests. He collected a variety of tennis-inspired art (much of which is now available to view at the International Tennis Hall of Fame), and was also a talented playwright.

Clerici died at the age of 91 in Bellagio, Italy on 6 June. He will be much-missed by his friends and colleagues in the tennis media industry and beyond.

To read the International Tennis Hall of Fame's tribute to Clerici, written by Steve Flink, please click here.