The President of the Italian Tennis Federation has reiterated his calls for Italy to host a fifth Grand Slam, a move that would change the foundation of the sport.<\/p>\n
Angelo Binaghi has held the role since 2001 and is the longest serving president of the federation.<\/p>\n
Over his tenure, Italian tennis has undergone many changes, with a resurgence over the last decade in the form of Matteo Berrettini, Jasmine Paolini, Lorenzo Musetti, and, most impressively, Jannik Sinner.<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cIn Rome, all my life. Look at Next Gen: in Milan the arena was always full; in Jeddah there wasn\u2019t a single person in the stands,\u201d Binaghi told Corriere<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cA Grand Slam in Italy will be possible when the government invests in tennis\u2019s potential. Economy Minister Giorgetti told me that at global financial meetings, before even greeting him, they congratulate him on Sinner and tennis.<\/p>\n \u201cIf, in addition to spending five billion on the Olympics, a huge and wonderful event that lasts only a few weeks, we tried to spend a tenth of that on something that would generate wealth for the next 100 years, then we could also bring a Grand Slam to Italy.<\/p>\n \u201cJust look at the economic impact of the International Tennis Championships on the region: last year it was \u20ac895 million, this year it should reach \u20ac1 billion.<\/p>\n \u201cThe ratio between a Masters 1000 and a Grand Slam is one to four: we\u2019re talking about a potential economic impact of around \u20ac4 billion, with additional tax revenues of around \u20ac600 million.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Internationals currently generate \u20ac148 million, without public funding.\u201d<\/p>\n At the 2025 edition of the Italian Open, Binaghi labelled the current system of the four Grand Slams \u2018a monopoly\u2019 and called for major change.<\/p>\n \u201cIn what other part of society is there a monopoly that lasts for more than 100 years?,\u201d he stated.<\/p>\n \u201cWhy are there always four [Grand Slams] and always the same four? It\u2019s absolutely unfair and doesn\u2019t help tennis grow.\u201d<\/p>\n Latest Tennis News<\/p>\n Joao Fonseca in serious doubt for Australian Open after withdrawing from Adelaide<\/a><\/p>\n