It is fresh news of a few weeks that the precious library of Gianni Clerici (1930-2022) has arrived in Cattolica: a privileged voice of tennis in Italy, with an illustrious past as a player, journalist and commentator, Clerici made himself known not only for his savoir faire in the world of racquetry, but also for his gifts as a refined writer and poet. The collection, donated to the Historical Collections by the Clerici family through the mediation of Francesco Rognoni, arrived at the Mompiano headquarters last June and represents a worldwide unicum in the field: in addition to the collection of all the articles and works signed by Gianni, the collection boasts a large number of publications on tennis and various vintages of Italian and international specialist magazines. Intriguing correspondence preserved in the folders tells of close friendships with writers of the caliber of Mario Soldati, Sergio Ferrero, and Giorgio Bassani, author of The Garden of the Finzi-Contini, where tennis is the backdrop to the events of the novel.

Work now begins on inventorying and sorting, which will make the materials available to the public in the near future.