The third-highest Italian player in the WTA rankings, Camila Giorgi, has abruptly decided to end her all associations with the Italian Tennis Federation FIT, allegedly due to a scheduling conflict. But she could face legal action for breaching a formal contract she signed with FIT.
A very succinct press released published on Camila Giorgi’s personal website on Thursday evening has triggered a chain reaction that is rattling the Italian Fed Cup team in the lead up to their crucial World Group Playoff tie in Lleida, Spain on 16-17 February. The four-time champions need to win the tie if they want to avoid relegation to World Group II.
“Camila Giorgi and her staff announce that today [31st March] we have terminated our cooperation with FIT [the Italian Tennis Federation]. […] Camila therefore will not take part to the Fed Cup tie [against Spain], but will enter the qualifying draw in Stuttgart”.
According to various sources, on Friday 25th March Camila sent an email to the FIT technical staff announcing her decision to travel to Germany for the rich WTA Premier tournament (each year the winner receives a Porsche) and her consequent impossibility to participate in the Fed Cup against Spain. Originally the n. 43 Italian was due to participate in the TEB BNP Paribas Cup in Istanbul, Turkey, but due to the recent terrorist attacks in the country, she decided to modify her schedule and opted for the event in Germany. Due to her ranking, she is will not receive direct entry to the main draw, forcing her to play the qualifying rounds taking place during the very same weekend as the Fed Cup Playoff tie.
The email from Giorgi requested FIT to not include her in the list of players selected for the tie the same way it had been granted to other Italian players in the past (Schiavone and Pennetta in 2013, Vinci earlier this year). Camila is trying to rebuild her game and her ranking after a lackluster start of 2016 season (her record is 4-6 during the first three months of the year) that has seen her ranking slip from n.34 to n.45. Following a categorical refusal by FIT to comply with her requests, the situation quickly deteriorated: an emergency meeting was called in Rome immediately after Easter, where Camila and her father-coach-manager Sergio met with two representatives of the Italian Federation, who hinted at possible retaliatory measures similar to those that were adopted against Simone Bolelli in 2008 when he refused to play a Davis Cup playoff tie against Latvia. Bolelli was disqualified by FIT, whose president Angelo Binaghi publicly stated that he would never play for Italy again for as long as he was at the helm of the Federation, however, he was later “forgiven” (coincidentally after he parted ways with his previous coach Claudio Pistolesi, who has always been extremely critical towards FIT) and allowed to be part of the Davis Cup team again.
The Italian Federation seems to have a more compelling case to change Giorgi’s mind than nationalistic pride and a threat of disciplinary action: there is a contract in place between Camila and FIT. This agreement states that FIT would provide Giorgi a range of services (the use of training facilities at their Technical Center in Tirrenia, Tuscany; an apartment for the Giorgi and her family near the training center; access to FIT technical and medical staff) as well as a robust financial support package. This would have been committed in exchange for the unconditional availability by Camila Giorgi to play in Fed Cup for Italy.
Sources disagree on the entity of the financial help included in the agreement: media outlets close to the Italian Federation, who are yet to issue an official statement on the matter, report a 145,000-euro unsecured loan granted to Camila to support her technical development, as well as 125,000 euros to cover some of the costs of her professional activity and 55,000 euros as a bonus for participating to past Fed Cup ties (where her record is an unimpressive 3-8). On the other hand, sources closer to the Giorgi’s quantify the financial support at approximately 150,000 euros.
The Italian Fed Cup captain notified his picks for the tie with Spain less than 24 hours after the “break-up” statement appeared on Giorgi’s website, including the name of the 24-year-old Italian in the list of selected players. FIT representatives seem adamant that, should Giorgi refuse to travel to Spain, she would be in breach of the agreement and required to repay the 145,000-euro loan immediately, as well as lose access to all the FIT training staff and facilities in Tirrenia. Other Italian players who were granted “temporary waivers” to their duty to represent Italy in Fed Cup (Pennetta, Schiavone and Vinci) were all stalwarts of the team that brought home four Fed Cup titles between 2006 and 2013, therefore, according to FIT, they have earned the right to obtain a break from the team competition. Furthermore, Giorgi is the only one under formal contract, and benefiting from free training facilities and free access to trainers and doctors.
The Italian Federation has given Giorgi until Monday 4th April to change her mind and make herself available to travel to Lleida, Spain with the rest of the team, or the clauses of the contract, which have not been disclosed, will be enforced.
