History

SIRT – Società Italiana Racchette Tennis

A history spanning three centuries

Bordighera brought tennis to Italy.
The greatest champions of the past played on its courts.
Today, more than ever, the town is regaining its former glory.

1878

In 1878, just one year after Wimbledon was founded (1877), the British community in Bordighera established Italy’s first tennis club: the Bordighera Lawn Tennis Club (BLTC). It was frequented by royal families and industrial leaders of the era.

1901

From 1901, near the Tennis Club, a furniture workshop with great technical expertise began assisting the British community in repairing and building tennis rackets. Over a hundred years ago, racket manufacturing began in this workshop.

1918

From 1918, friendship with great British players and members of the nearby BLTC contributed greatly to this venture. Drawn by the workshop’s skill and a newly invented technology, members opened up export markets.

SIRT rackets were the first to be laminated rather than made from a single piece of wood, making them lighter, more elastic, and stronger. Major British brands began having their rackets made in Bordighera.

1930

Proximity to the tennis courts allowed continuous testing and refinement. Federico Billour, historical owner alongside his brother Giovanni, dedicated himself to this. As a technician and elite player, F. Billour personally tested the rackets and coined the phrase:

“The SIRT racket is created by the player, for the player.”

F.Billour – technician and player

1945 – 1980

Post-war, SIRT rackets successfully resumed sales, expanding the model range with production reaching up to 300,000 units per year.

1990

SIRT adapted to new materials, building wood-carbon composite rackets. Later, new brand owners distributed equipment crafted by top international manufacturers.

Present Day

Over 100 years later, we continue with the same spirit, offering innovative and high-performing products. Our current high-tech rackets benefit from handcrafted tuning in our Bordighera workshop, tested by players for players.

The evolution of the SIRT logo over the years

Historic rackets

SIRT Museum

At the Sporting Vip store in Bordighera, located at 279 Via Vittorio Emanuele, we have created the SIRT Museum, featuring more than 170 historic tennis rackets made in Bordighera by the Italian Tennis Racket Company (Società Italiana Racchette Tennis, SIRT), as well as other notable examples. These unique pieces date back as far as 1850.
Visitors can also view a series of historical panels on the history of tennis in Bordighera, based on the book Tennis in Bordighera from 1878 to the Present Day (Il Tennis a Bordighera dal 1878 a Oggi) by Gisella Merello, published with the patronage of the Municipality of Bordighera.

Come and visit the SIRT Museum in Bordighera and discover the remarkable history of tennis in Italy.