Samantha Barijan launches an unprecedented project to train professional beach tennis athletes with a focus on female leadership

The city of Indaiatuba, in the interior of São Paulo, becomes the stage for a new milestone in national beach tennis with the launch of the NN1 (New Number 1) project. Created by Samantha Barijan — world champion, three-time Pan-American champion and the first Brazilian to lead the ITF ranking — the program was created with the objective of training professional athletes with technical excellence and female protagonism on the international scene.

Held by the Deco Beach Arena, one of the most complete beach sports facilities in the world, the NN1 project was born in an environment of excellence. The arena was founded by Deco , a former athlete and current football director at FC Barcelona, ​​and is managed by Paula Vidal, a professional who understands sport as a powerful tool for social, human and professional impact. The Arena promotes continuous training, accompanying the athlete from initiation to high performance, within a complete 360º development model.

The project also has a multidisciplinary team of excellence, made up of renowned experts in their fields:

• Fábio Vidal - former athlete and technical coordinator of the project
• Tales Villanova (Deco Heath Club) - Physiotherapy, recovery and rehabilitation coordinator
• Dr. Juliano Mesquita - medical coordinator and specialist in systemic dentistry
• Paulo Vasconcelos - assistant coach and physical trainer
• Dr. Jaque Brenner - sports psychologist
• Dr. Vivian Asano - functional nutritionist
• Dr. Juliano Mesquita - specialist in systemic dentistry
• Dr. Lisiane Moizio - Aesthetics
• Dr. Elke Gusi - gynecology

This team works in an integrated and strategic manner, ensuring that athletes receive complete support — technical, physical, emotional and clinical — to achieve the highest level of performance with well-being, safety and longevity in their sporting careers.

"The Arena was created with the purpose of being more than just a sports facility — it is an environment for developing values, talents and opportunities. Receiving the NN1 project is a natural extension of this purpose", says Paula Vidal , director of Arena Deco Beach.

Using the Basa Beach Tennis methodology developed by Samantha, the project offers comprehensive training on three fronts: sports performance, clinical support and strategic career development — including image management, performance analysis and competitive planning. NN1 is exclusively for female beach tennis athletes and represents another milestone in Samantha Barijan's entrepreneurial and visionary career.

"One of the main reasons for creating NN1 is to give visibility to women in beach tennis. I faced many obstacles to build my career — physical and emotional exhaustion and the lack of adequate structure. What I want is for this new generation to not have to face the same barriers, or at least find a lighter path, with support and acceptance. We are building a safe, healthy and professional environment, so that these women can perform at their best", says Samantha Barijan , head coach and creator of the project.

Two paths to the same excellence

The training offered by the NN1 project is organized into two entry formats:

• Full scholarship recipients : athletes selected to receive the complete program fully funded by the project, at no cost to the athlete;
• Monthly students : athletes who invest in their own training, with access to the same technical structure, monitoring and methodology as scholarship students.

In both cases, participants go through a rigorous selection process, which includes technical evaluation, behavioral analysis and interviews with the multidisciplinary team — ensuring quality, alignment with the project's values ​​and excellence in selection.

The first scholarship athlete hired is Manuela Archeti, 18 years old, three-time Pan American junior champion, junior world vice-champion and currently number 58 in the world ranking. Considered one of the great promises of Brazilian beach tennis, Manu represents the ideal profile of athlete that NN1 seeks to develop: committed, disciplined, talented and with the potential to shine on the international circuit.

"Joining NN1 is an opportunity that I immediately embraced. I know that I am alongside the right people, being trained by Samantha, who is a role model for me. A unique opportunity to grow as an athlete", says Manu Archeti, NN1 athlete.

"NN1 is a project that translates what we believe in at Praia Lab: sport as a channel for visibility, transformation and positioning. We take care of the image, but mainly the identity of each athlete", highlights Daniela Bergamo, the project's communications coordinator and responsible for managing the athletes' careers.