The ITF has announced that the ITF Beach Tennis World Championships will be hosted in Italy by the Italian Tennis Federation (FIT). The event will take place in the Bagno Delfino, located on the Adriatic resort of Cervia in Ravenna, July 31 – August 4, 2013.

This fifth edition Championship will have both men’s and women’s doubles draws, and was first hosted by the Italians in the Foro Italico (Rome) from 2009 until 2011. The Italians, who are cited as the inventors of beach tennis, have dominated the game so far, with Marco Garavini and Paolo Tazzari winning the 2012 men’s title and Simona Briganti and Laura Olivieri defended the women’s title.

President Francesco Ricci Bitti said: “We are delighted to see the continued growth of the Beach Tennis Tour,” said ITF President Francesco Ricci Bitti. “The ITF Beach Tennis World Championships remain a focal point of the beach tennis calendar, and it is fitting that this year’s event is staged in such an active region for the sport.” Over 40 countries are currently represented in the ITF Beach Tennis Rankings.