Get to Know the Partners Behind Tennis4Women 2.0

Ana Logar
Jul 8
4 min read

Every project is only as strong as the people behind it. Tennis4Women 2.0 brings together four organisations from Slovenia, Croatia and Serbia. Each with its own story, strengths and role in the partnership, united by one goal: getting more girls and young women onto the tennis court. Over the next eighteen months, these four teams will research what works, design a new way of teaching tennis to beginners, test it on real courts with real players, and share everything they learn with clubs and coaches across Europe. Before all of that unfolds, it is worth taking a moment to properly introduce the people making it happen.

ŠK Virtus (Slovenia)

Sports club Virtus from Ljubljana is where Tennis4Women 2.0 is steered from. The club works primarily at the grassroots level, with tennis at its core, and has built its reputation on a simple belief: sport should offer equal opportunities to everyone. That belief is visible in everything the club does from organised regular exercise programmes for different age categories and tennis programmes for all generations, to sports events and tournaments at the grassroots level and sport-for-development initiatives focused on equal opportunities. Virtus also invests heavily in its people: young coaches are mentored, educated and encouraged to keep learning, attending seminars and workshops every year and bringing new methodologies back to the club.

In this project, Virtus takes on the role that every partnership needs but rarely notices when it is done well: keeping everything on track. As coordinator, the club manages the partnership, monitors the quality of the work, handles the administrative and financial side, and makes sure the project delivers what it promised - on time and to the standard the consortium set for itself.

Institute iMPACT (Slovenia)

Institute iMPACT (Institute for Modernisation and Physical Activity) is an international non-governmental organisation on a mission to modernise recreational sport and make physical activity accessible to people of all ages and backgrounds. What makes iMPACT distinctive is the breadth of its network professionals from physical activity, kinesiology, health and economics who share the conviction that sport is a powerful tool for driving positive change in society. Their work consistently highlights inclusion, sustainability, equality, physical and mental health, intergenerational and intercultural exchange, and lifelong learning, with special attention given to developing new exercise programmes designed to counter the effects of modern sedentary lifestyles.

Within Tennis4Women 2.0, iMPACT leads the desk research and best practice collection the analytical foundation the whole project builds on. By gathering existing knowledge and identifying strategies that have successfully increased female participation in sport, iMPACT ensures the project does not start from zero but stands on the shoulders of initiatives that have already proven themselves. On top of that, the institute leads communication and dissemination at the European level, making sure the project's message and results travel well beyond the three partner countries.

TK Lošinj-Jadranka (Croatia)

Tennis club Lošinj-Jadranka calls the Adriatic island of Lošinj home. This non-profit club has long-time experience running tennis programmes for all age categories , locals and tourists alike, which means its coaches have taught practically every kind of beginner there is: children picking up a racket for the first time, adults returning to sport after years away, and holidaymakers squeezing a lesson between two swims. The club's objectives go beyond the court, too: promoting equality, fair play and healthy lifestyles, developing activities in partnership with schools, encouraging volunteering, and promoting activities in nature. Its coaching team is a particular point of pride it includes experts who also work in elite-level tennis and develop talented young Croatian players.

In the project, Lošinj leads the development of the innovative training methodology and learning materials for trainers and coaches. This is the creative heart of Tennis4Women 2.0: a new, faster and more engaging way for beginners to master tennis fundamentals, supported by digital tools and video analysis — an approach widely used in professional tennis but rarely brought down to the grassroots level, where it can make the biggest difference for newcomers.

Player Zone Tennis Academy (Serbia) — from the pros to the grassroots

Player Zone Tennis Academy was founded in 2017 in Belgrade out of a passion for competitive tennis. Its coaches have worked with highly ranked ATP and WTA players, and the academy has built its name on personalised training programmes tailored to each player's unique needs developing not just the athlete, but the person. The coaching team meets daily to discuss individual progress, an approach that reflects the academy's core philosophy: every player deserves a programme built around them, whether they are chasing a professional ranking or picking up a racket for the very first time.

In Tennis4Women 2.0, Player Zone brings that professional know-how to the grassroots. The academy leads the pilot testing of the new training methodology, organising tennis courses designed specifically for girls and young women. This is where the project's ideas meet reality: the courses will show what works, what needs adjusting, and how it feels to learn tennis through the new approach feedback that flows directly back into the final version of the methodology and toolkit.

Four teams, three countries, one court

What makes this partnership work is the mix. A grassroots coordinator who knows how to run programmes for every generation. A research and communication specialist who makes sure the project is built on evidence and heard across Europe. An experienced club shaping the methodology with decades of teaching behind it. And a professional academy putting it all to the test on court, with the standards of elite tennis and the openness of sport for all. Together, they cover every step from idea to practice — and every step brings tennis closer to the girls and young women it is meant for.