Is Italian Open on its way to becoming fifth Grand Slam?

The Italian Tennis Federation has made an ambitious $550 million offer to make the Italian Open the fifth Grand Slam.

It has been a great decade for Italian tennis, producing some of the best players of the current era. Jannik Sinner has already established himself as Italy’s best, having triumphed twice at the Australian Open and once in the US.

Lorenzo Musetti brought home Italy’s maiden Olympic Gold medal, while Jasmine Paolini in partnership with Sara Errani won the Olympic gold. With their tennis history reaching new heights, the Italian Tennis Federation (FITP) recently made a bold move to elevate the status of Italian tennis.

The FITP has put forward an ambitious $550 million offer to acquire the week currently held by the Masters 1000 Madrid tournament. This notable proposal aimed to expand the Rome Masters 1000 into a two-week event, giving it the status of an unofficial “fifth Grand Slam.”

The tennis calendar year consists of four Grand Slams, the Australian Open played on hard courts at the start of the year, the French Open played on clay during May, the Wimbledon Championships played on grass during July, and last the US Open in August.

Also Read: Italian Open: Full list of title winners

When did the initial four Grand Slams take place?

The four Grand Slam tournaments, which have become synonymous with professional tennis, have been held together since 1925 when the French Championships (now Roland Garros) gained major international status.

Wimbledon, the oldest of the four, was first played in 1877, but the US Open has hosted the most editions, with 145 to date.

Another significant evolution in the Grand Slams has been the playing surface. Until 1974, three of the four majors—Wimbledon, the Australian Open, and the US Open—were played on grass. The US Open even briefly switched to clay courts from 1975 to 1977 before settling on hard courts.

FITP’s proposal

Romanian businessman Ion Tiriac sold the Madrid Open to a New York-based company in 2021 for a fee of £323m, well below the figure linked to the FITP. The Italian Tennis and Padel Federation (FITP) has proposed a $550 million bid to acquire the Madrid Open from its current owners, IMG.

The federation plans to enhance the facilities at Rome’s Foro Italico, the traditional venue for the Italian Open. Proposed upgrades include the expansion of the Stadio dei Marmi, including the construction of a new ‘Supertennis Arena’ with a seating capacity of 6,500, alongside two additional courts accommodating around 700 spectators each. These developments aim to meet the infrastructural standards befitting a tournament of Grand Slam caliber.

Challenges for the fifth Grand Slam

The biggest problem with declaring the Italian Open the fifth Grand Slam is that the tournament is too close to Roland Garros. The Italian Open 2025 traditionally begins on May 7, while the French Open commences on May 25. Additionally, both tournaments are played on clay, making the distinction between them less significant.

The main challenge for the Italian Open in gaining recognition as the fifth Grand Slam is the similar playing surface and the short gap between the tournament and the French Open.

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