Air Serbia launches summer tennis initiative for children in Belgrade

Air Serbia, the national airline of the Republic of Serbia, has launched a campaign which will provide children in Belgrade with tennis coaching sessions this summer.

More than 400 school-aged children up to 10 years old will be able to participate in the “Air Serbia Tennis Initiative”, which is scheduled to run between August and October in the Serbian capital.

Children will be accepted onto the program on a first-come first-served basis and to apply parents or legal guardians should download and submit the form available on the Tennis Federation of Serbia website on Air Serbia Inicijativa za razvoj tenisa by 1 August 2016.

The airline will work in close partnership with professional coaches from the Tennis Federation of Serbia as well as officials from the City of Belgrade Secretariat for Education and Child Protection to provide schoolchildren with a solid foundation on the tactics, skills and techniques in tennis.

Each child participating in the campaign will receive open court lessons at the world-class Novak Tennis Centre, named after professional Serbian tennis player and current world number one in men's singles tennis, Novak Djokovic.

Dane Kondić, Chief Executive Office of Air Serbia, said: “We are delighted to launch the Air Serbia Tennis Initiative, which will introduce hundreds of children to tennis over the next few months.

“Tennis has become hugely popular in Serbia and this is a great chance to teach our next generation of players how to play the game successfully.

“We are happy to be partnering with the City of Belgrade and the Tennis Federation of Serbia, whose professional coaches are ready to impart their knowledge and tips to our next tennis stars.”

Dušan Orlandić, Executive Director at the Tennis Federation of Serbia, said: “We strongly believe that sports and athletics play an essential role in teaching young people positive life skills and are therefore thrilled to work with Air Serbia to provide tennis coaching to children.

“The tremendous interest in the Davis Cup matches in Belgrade over the weekend reflects the popularity of tennis in Serbia, a game that promotes physical well-being, builds self-confidence and strengthens social and thinking skills, which are all important for the development of our youth.”

Siniša Mali, Chairman of Air Serbia’s Supervisory Board, and Mayor of Belgrade, said: “This will be a fantastic way of engaging the youngest Belgradians in a positive activity during the summer months and introducing them to the wonderful game of tennis.

“I believe that through this program our youth will spend quality time on the courts, use and develop their potential, and maybe some of them will be among the best tennis players in the world one day. We expect to see them on the tennis courts soon and I hope they will have a fun time.”

In addition to the “Air Serbia Tennis Initiative”, Air Serbia has an Airbus A319 aircraft named after legendary Serbian tennis player, Novak Djokovic, which celebrates and promotes the sport and one of its most iconic competitors.