“A Grand Slam in Italy will be possible”: Italian tennis chief fuels talk of a fifth major

The president of the Italian Tennis Federation, Angelo Binaghi, one of the key figures behind the growth of Italian tennis, has hinted at the possibility of a fifth Grand Slam being held in Italy. According to the tennis chief, a major would be possible “when the government invests in the potential of tennis.”

In a recent interview with Corriere dello Sport, Binaghi referred to the boom in Italian tennis — which goes far beyond the success of world No. 1 Jannik Sinner — pointing to Davis Cup and Billie Jean King Cup titles, as well as Italy hosting some of the most important tournaments in the world, such as the ATP Finals and the Davis Cup Finals, in addition to the Rome Open as one of the cornerstone events on the tennis calendar.

“If you broaden your perspective, you see Musetti, Paolini, the Davis Cup — a system. If you broaden it even further, you see that for 15 years we have been the only federation in the world with a dedicated thematic TV channel,” said the tennis chief. “At one point, we were losing the Italian Open, whereas now the ATP, the WTA and the ITF look at us because we have become the best tournament organisers. They gave us the Finals and the Davis Cup. We laid the foundations even before Sinner was born.”

He was then asked whether he believes a fifth Grand Slam is more likely to be staged in Italy or in Arab countries. “In Rome, all my life. Look at the Next Gen Finals: in Milan the stadium was always full; in Jeddah there wasn’t a single person in the stands,” Binaghi said, before adding: “A Grand Slam in Italy will be possible when the government invests in the potential of tennis. The Minister of Economy, Giorgetti, told me that at international financial meetings, even before greeting him, people congratulate him on Sinner and Italian tennis.”

In that same vein, Binaghi argued that significant economic investment by Italian authorities could make the dream of hosting a Grand Slam in Italy a reality. “If, in addition to spending five billion euros on the Olympic Games — a huge and wonderful event that lasts only a few weeks — we tried to invest a tenth of that amount in something that would generate wealth over the next 100 years, we could also bring a Grand Slam to Italy,” he said.

“You only need to look at the economic impact of the Italian Open on the region: last year it amounted to 895 million euros, and this year it should reach one billion,” he added.

“The ratio between a Masters 1000 and a Grand Slam is one to four: we are talking about a potential economic impact of around four billion euros, with additional tax revenues of roughly 600 million. The international tournaments currently generate 148 million euros, without public funding.”

The tennis chief believes that the success of Italian tennis is reflected not only in a strong generation of players — currently with five men inside the ATP top 40, and Jasmine Paolini leading the women’s side at world No. 7 — but also in the country’s ability to host major sporting events.

“Everything adds up. This favourable economic situation is the result of steady and healthy growth over several decades,” he said. “Along this path, a phenomenon has emerged. Sinner’s pursuit of maximum performance develops independently from the Federation, but with the same desire to win and work hard.”

“In fact, if you broaden your perspective, you see Musetti, Paolini, the Davis Cup — a system. If you broaden it even further, you see that for 15 years we have been the only federation in the world with a dedicated thematic TV channel. At one point, we were losing the Italian Open, whereas now the ATP, the WTA and the ITF look at us because we have become the best tournament organisers. They gave us the Finals and the Davis Cup. We laid the foundations even before Sinner was born.”