Italy has become a hub for professional men’s tennis in recent years.
The country has hosted the Italian Open in Rome since 1930, and the event has been played out under the Masters 1000 classification since 1990.
More recently, the country has added major men’s events to its ATP repertoire
Should the ATP Tour introduce a new grass-court Masters event? 💭
If so, where should the tournament be held?
The ATP Finals are currently held in Turin, and will continue to do so through 2030.
Italy is also the host of the Davis Cup Finals. Last year, the Italians won the event for a third consecutive year, lifting the famous trophy in Bologna.
The country is now set to host another ATP event.
Italy to host a new grass-court ATP event
Angelo Binaghi, the Italian Tennis and Padel Federation President, has announced that the federation has acquired the rights of the Brussels [European] Open – an ATP 250 event which usually takes place in October.
Current ATP grass-court events
- Stuttgart Open
- Libema Open
- Queen’s Club Championships
- Terra Wortmann Open [Halle]
- Mallorca Open
- Eastbourne Open
- Wimbledon
The Federation are now set to host a new grass-court event in early June.
The event will be classified as an ATP 250 tournament – the lowest level tournament category on the ATP Tour.
Many will welcome news of an additional grass-court event. This year, only seven of the 60 ATP Tour events are being held on grass-courts.
Binaghi, who became President of the Italian Tennis Federation in 2001, said further logistical decisions need to be made with regard to the new grass-court event.
As per ESPN, he said: “There’s still time to decide where to play it. For climate reasons, it will probably be held in northern Italy.”
Binaghi also recently discussed his desire to host two more events in Italy: Next Gen Finals and Billie Jean King Cup Finals.
The Next Gen Finals are currently held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, while the Billie Jean King Cup Finals are hosted in Shenzhen, China.
“Right now, they’re offering us everything,” Binaghi [pictured below] told La Gazzetta dello Sport in March.
“It’s possible that the Next Gen [Finals] will also return to Italy for a year.
“But regarding the BJK [Billie Jean King] Cup, we’ve spoken to the minister; we’ll work on this and bring them to Italy.
“Meanwhile, they’ll be in China for this year and next year.”
Will the ATP Tour ever hold a grass-court Masters 1000 event?
There are currently six warm-up events prior to Wimbledon – all of which take place across Europe.
None of these events are in the Masters 1000 category.
It seems a shame that – despite having nine Masters 1000 events on the Tour – not one of these is held on grass.
Six of the nine events are currently held on hard courts, with the remaining three hosted on clay.
Tennis fans would surely welcome the introduction of a new Masters 1000 event on grass – one that could be held as a warm-up event prior to Wimbledon.
Perhaps the easiest – and most sensible – solution, would be to upgrade one of the current ATP 500 grass-court events – such as the Halle Open or the Queen’s Club Championships – to the Masters 1000 level.
