Tennis is a historic sport that has been a cultural powerhouse ever since its inception.
However, the longevity and traditional nature of it have often prohibited its progression, having been somewhat left behind by its contemporaries, like football.
That being said, the last few decades have seen a shift.
The emergence of the Big Three alongside Serena and Venus Williams encouraged a new wave of tennis fans, and there are plenty more current-day stars who seem capable of continuing that upward trend.
If tennis were creating a fifth Grand Slam title, where would you want it held? 🌏
It will be interesting to see how the sport continues to adapt in the coming years to ensure they keep up with the times.
The Italian tennis chief certainly has his theories for what could bring the sport forward, and Angelo Binaghi was unafraid to voice those opinions recently.
Tennis told why it should create a fifth Grand Slam
Speaking to UniversTennis, he has actually argued that a fifth Grand Slam should be created in order to unsettle the current monopoly that the other four have over the sport.
Binaghi stated that the tennis federations in Australia, France, England and America unfairly benefit from their historic relationship with the sport, and thus are unfairly treated above the rest of the world.
He labels it ‘scandalous’, claiming: “The monopoly of the four Grand Slam tournaments is scandalous, it’s a serious handicap for the sport. The current system protects those who aren’t doing the maximum for tennis.
“There are four countries in the world that have a mountain of money to invest in their tennis that other nations don’t have. I’m trying to blow up this monopoly.”
Unsurprisingly, Binaghi has rallied for it to be in Italy, concluding with a claim that he would seemingly do anything to make his dream a reality: “It’s clear that we have our ideas, but we’re clearly willing to organise it anywhere in Italy and on any surface.”
Why South America should get a Grand Slam tournament
Whilst Italy would certainly be a fine option to host a fifth Grand Slam, there’s an argument to be made that South America would and should benefit from this hypothetical suggestion.
After all, this is a continent that is largely crazy about the sport, despite having had very few stars to support in recent memory.
Joao Fonseca represents Brazil’s first male talent since Gustavo Kuerten, and despite his relative inexperience and what little he has accomplished, the 19-year-old still pulls in huge crowds of passionate fans wherever he plays.
Not only would this fifth Grand Slam help encourage greater talent production from this part of the world, but the players clearly love it there, too.
The South American swing of the tour is one of the most underappreciated and undervalued runs of tournaments, denoting a serious missed opportunity for the sport to expand into less-established markets.
Should the ATP Tour introduce a new grass-court Masters event? 💭
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Carlos Alcaraz has admitted he loves the South American swing, despite not having returned since he got injured in Rio two years ago.
He claimed: “It’s beautiful. The people get really involved in tennis; the fans there are incredible. I received loads of support, which I loved. We’ll see if they keep playing it because it’s a swing that, personally, I’d love to experience again.
“To the players who haven’t been, I’d say that at least once in their career they’ve got to experience that because, to be honest, it’s one of the most brilliant ones I’ve had when it comes to swings.”
This came rather ironically after Stefanos Tsitsipas explained why he had never played in South America.
