ROME (AP) — The ATP Finals. The Davis Cup Finals. And now a Wimbledon tuneup on grass courts that could be played on the soccer pitch inside Milan’s San Siro stadium.
Led by top-ranked Jannik Sinner, who won Wimbledon last year, the Italian tennis movement keeps on adding new events.
The Italian Tennis and Padel Federation has purchased the rights for a 250-level ATP Tour tournament in Brussels that is held in October, federation president Angelo Binaghi announced Tuesday.
The event will be held each June starting in 2028.
“There’s still time to decide where to play it,” Binaghi said. “For climate reasons, it will probably be held in northern Italy.”
Binaghi noted that the Madrid Open is introducing practice courts inside Real Madrid’s Santiago Bernabeu stadium, so the San Siro could be an option: “For once, we wouldn’t be the first to do it.”
Italy previously hosted a WTA tournament on grass in Gaiba from 2022-24. The federation is also hosting the ATP Finals, currently in Turin, through 2030 and the Davis Cup Finals in Bologna through next year.
Sinner and Paolini
Meanwhile, the federation is preparing to host the Italian Open next month.
After Sinner beat Carlos Alcaraz in the Monte Carlo Masters final on Sunday, organizers are optimistic that he could become the first Italian man to claim the singles title at the Foro Italico since Adriano Panatta 50 years ago.
“We’ve got to try and win the men’s singles. The time is right,” Binaghi said at the tournament presentation, noting that Italy has three other players ranked in the top 25: No. 9 Lorenzo Musetti, No. 16 Flavio Cobolli and No. 21 Luciano Darderi.
Alcaraz beat Sinner in last year’s Rome final in Sinner’s first tournament back from a three-month doping ban; while Jasmine Paolini earned Italy the titles in both women’s singles and doubles (with partner Sara Errani).
Retractable roof
Work on a retractable roof for Campo Centrale is slated to start immediately after this year’s Italian Open and be ready for the 2028 edition.
Capacity for the revised stadium will increase from 10,500 to 12,400 for tennis; and more for other sports such as basketball.
5th Slam
Binaghi also said he still hopes to make the Italian Open a fifth Grand Slam to join the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon and the U.S. Open as the sport’s biggest tournaments.
Binaghi first raised the idea last year — which would upend a century of tennis history. His federation is interested in acquiring the license for the Madrid Open, which immediately precedes Rome in the tennis calendar. The idea is that by eliminating Madrid and making Rome bigger it could constitute a fifth Slam.
“I think about it every day,” Binaghi said. “There’s only a brief window when we can achieve this. … Italy would benefit from it for 100 years. It’s our dream.”
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AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis
