Italian tennis is experiencing an unprecedented period of expansion and ambition, with a series of high-profile developments signaling the country’s growing influence on the global tennis landscape.
In the latest announcement Tuesday, Angelo Binaghi, president of the Italian Tennis and Padel Federation, confirmed the federation has acquired the hosting rights to a 250-level ATP Tour tournament previously held in Brussels each October. Relocated to Italy, the new event will launch in June 2028, positioning it as a key pre-Wimbledon warm-up tournament on grass courts. Binaghi noted that while a final venue is still to be confirmed, climate conditions point to northern Italy as the most likely location. One standout potential option under consideration is the iconic San Siro soccer stadium in Milan, following the lead of Madrid Open organizers who are set to add practice courts inside Real Madrid’s Santiago Bernabéu Stadium. “For once, we wouldn’t be the first to do it,” Binaghi pointed out.
This new grass-court event is just the latest addition to Italy’s packed portfolio of top-tier tennis competitions. The country already hosts the season-ending ATP Finals in Turin through 2030, and the Davis Cup Finals in Bologna through 2025. From 2022 to 2024, Italy also staged a WTA grass-court tournament in Gaiba, building valuable experience in hosting outdoor grass events ahead of the new ATP addition.
Attention now turns to the upcoming Italian Open, scheduled to begin next month at Rome’s Foro Italico. Organizers are riding a wave of momentum after world No. 1 Jannik Sinner’s straight-sets victory over Carlos Alcaraz in the Monte Carlo Masters final Sunday, a win that reclaimed the top ranking for the Italian star. The tournament is already abuzz with speculation that Sinner could become the first Italian man to lift the Italian Open men’s singles trophy in 50 years, since Adriano Panatta’s iconic win in 1975. Binaghi expressed confidence in the host nation’s prospects at the tournament presentation, noting that Italy has three additional top-25 ranked players: Lorenzo Musetti at No. 9, Flavio Cobolli at No. 16, and Luciano Darderi at No. 21. Last year’s tournament delivered historic home success too: Jasmine Paolini claimed both the women’s singles and doubles titles alongside partner Sara Errani, while Alcaraz defeated Sinner in the men’s final in Sinner’s first competition back after a three-month doping ban.
Major infrastructure upgrades are also underway at the Foro Italico to prepare for the tournament’s growing profile. Construction of a retractable roof for the main Campo Centrale court will kick off immediately after this year’s Italian Open, with completion targeted for the 2028 edition. The renovation will increase seating capacity for the main stadium from 10,500 to 12,400 for tennis, with additional capacity available for other sports such as basketball.
Looking further ahead, Binaghi reiterated the federation’s long-term ambition to elevate the Italian Open to the status of a fifth Grand Slam, joining the existing four major tournaments that have defined top-tier men’s and women’s tennis for a century. First proposed by Binaghi last year, the plan would see the federation acquire the license for the Madrid Open — which currently sits on the calendar immediately before Rome — and merge or restructure the events to create a fifth elite major. “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.”