Valentino Taroni (1915–1997) was an Italian tennis player.
Born in 1915, Taroni grew up in the town of
Carate Urio
Carate Urio (Comasco: ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Como in the Italian region Lombardy, located about north of Milan and about northeast of Como.
Founded in 1927 by the merger of Carate Lario and Urio, Carate Urio border ...
on the shores of
Lake Como. From a working class family, Taroni's humble beginnings were a contrast to the top Italian player's of the time, who were largely upper class. In order to pursue the sport he had to receive financial help from a member of a
Como
Como (, ; lmo, Còmm, label= Comasco , or ; lat, Novum Comum; rm, Com; french: Côme) is a city and ''comune'' in Lombardy, Italy. It is the administrative capital of the Province of Como.
Its proximity to Lake Como and to the Alps h ...
tennis club, where he was a ball boy.
Taroni competed for the
Italy Davis Cup team
The Italy men's national tennis team represents Italy in Davis Cup tennis competition and are governed by the Federazione Italiana Tennis. Italy won the Davis Cup in 1976, and finished as runners-up six times (1960, 1961, 1977, 1979, 1980, and 1 ...
between 1933 and 1939, primarily as a doubles specialist. He reached the singles third round of the
1934 French Championships and was Italy's national singles champion in 1937.
His career was interrupted by the
war
War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regular o ...
and after the conflict he became a tennis coach in Naples.
See also
*
List of Italy Davis Cup team representatives
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Taroni, Valentino
1915 births
1997 deaths
Italian male tennis players
Sportspeople from the Province of Como