A promising teen tennis player has dropped dead of a heart attack on the court.
The 15-year-old boy died after collapsing during a routine training session.
He was hailed as a player who “could do everything”.
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Luigi Santarelli was playing at the Cittadella dello Sport complex in San Giovanni Teatino, Italy, when tragedy struck.
Eyewitnesses say the young athlete was laughing and chatting with his coach moments before he suddenly crumpled to the ground.
His coach and bystanders rushed onto the court to provide emergency first aid.
Staff quickly deployed the sports centre’s automated external defibrillator (AED) to try to restart his heart.
An ambulance and a specialist medical vehicle arrived shortly after.
Paramedics continued intensive resuscitation efforts as they rushed the teenager to the emergency room at a nearby hospital in Pescara.
Despite the best efforts of medical staff to save his life, he never regained consciousness and was pronounced dead in hospital.
Luigi, who lived in the coastal town of Francavilla al Mare, was known as a passionate tennis player who was on the court almost every day.
He was described by those who knew him as an incredibly athletic, fit, and healthy young man who showed no previous signs of illness.
Alessia Camplone, a tennis coach at the centre, said: “We all called him The Painter because he was brilliant on the court, he could do everything.”
The local community has been left in deep shock by the sudden loss.
Giorgio Di Clemente, the Mayor of San Giovanni Teatino, visited the hospital to support the family and expressed the collective grief of the town.
The sports complex has also temporarily closed its doors as a mark of respect, as reported by Need To Know.
The local authorities have launched an official investigation into the exact cause of death.
Prosecutors have ordered an autopsy to determine what triggered the fatal episode in an otherwise healthy young athlete.
Investigators will also review his sports medical certificates, which the sports club stated were fully up to date and in perfect order.
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