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The Italian Open is a long-running professional tennis tournament that started in 1930. It’s part of the men’s (ATP) Masters 1000 series of tournaments, and a Premier 5 event for women (WTA).
Previously, it was called the Italian International Championships. The tournament is sponsored by the Banca Nazionale del Lavoro (BNL), a large Italian bank whose headquarters are in Rome.
If you plan to attend the Italian Open tournament, or simply want to learn more about it, this guide has all the details.
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Table of Contents
About the Italian Open Tennis Tournament
How to Get Tickets to the Italian Open
Where to Stay in Rome for the Italian Open
Getting Around Rome
How to Make Your Italian Open Experience Great
How to Watch the Italian Open tennis on TV
With 90 years of history to its name, the Italian Open attracts top tennis talent from all over the world. It started off in Milan at a tennis club, but eventually moved to Rome in 1935, five years after it started, to the venue where it’s held today. Today, it’s one of the biggest clay-court professional tennis tournaments in the world.
The Italian Open is located in Rome, Italy at the Foro Italico.
It’s a sports complex that is located on the hillside of Monte Mario. The history of the Foro Italico goes back a long way to its completion in 1938 with the goal of using the complex for the 1940 Olympics. All over the location are gorgeous statues that depict various sporting events. Being there definitely gives you a feeling of long Italian history and Roman culture.
The tournament usually takes place in the spring right before the French Open, which starts at the end of May. It starts right after the Madrid Open tournament concludes.
The dates for the 2021 Italian Open have been set for May 9 – May 16.
The current champions for 2020 are the following tennis players:
The court surface at the Foro Italico, where the Italian Open is held, is red clay. They have 11 courts, but only use eight for the tournament.
The prize money for the 2020 Italian Open was €3.4 million for the men, and €1.6 million for the women. The following is how the money was distributed between the winners and runner-ups in each category.
| Event | Winners | Runner-Ups |
| Men’s Singles | €205,200 | €150,000 |
| Women’s Singles | €205,190 | €150,000 |
| Men’s Doubles | €58,860 | €49,000 |
| Women’s Doubles | €62,520 | €40,000 |
The winner of the Italian Open received 1000 ATP (men’s) or 900 WTA (women’s) ranking points in 2020. Here are the ranking points by round.
| Men’s Singles & Doubles | Women’s Singles & Doubles | |
| Champion | 1000 | 900 |
| Finals | 600 | 585 |
| Semifinals | 360 | 350 |
| Quarterfinals | 180 | 190 |
| Rd. of 16 | 90 | 105 |
| Rd. of 32 | 45 singles | no doubles | 60 singles | 1 doubles |
| Rd. of 64 | 10 singles | no doubles | 1 singles | no doubles |
The best way to get tickets to the Italian Open is through the official Italian Open website. There you can buy Central Court tickets to the main stadium, the Grand Stand arena, and the grounds area where the outside courts are located.
You can also purchase special ticket packages that include extra amenities, like access to an air-conditioned lounge area and a special entrance. Those are the Corporate Hospitality, the Club Suite Package, Courtside Hospitality, Gold and Platinum Rome Semis and Final that includes lower-tier seating and a hotel reservation.
You can also purchase tickets to the event through reseller sites like Stubhub and Viagogo.
If you want to see some of the biggest names in tennis, they are going to be playing on the largest Central Court stadium which holds 10,000 fans. It’s still an intimate enough venue that every seat in the house is going to be great for viewing all the action no matter where you sit.
Be sure to check the schedule and see which day and time your favorite player is playing. The top 8 seeded players will have a bye in the first round.
Rome is a bustling, vibrant city with many hotel options in all different price ranges. You are going to want to stay as close to the Foro Italico as possible to be on time each day for all the tennis action. The traffic all over Rome can get a little busy.
Great 4-5 star hotel options are:
There are many 3 star, budget-friendly options close to the venue as well. All of these hotels are less than two miles away from the Foro Italico.
There is also the option of Airbnb. You can rent a room from a family home, go with a single apartment, or possibly rent an Italian villa.
The easiest way to get around the city from the hotel to the courts is to use a variety of options. There is a metro bus that you can take, subway, tram, taxi, or go on foot.
Your hotel may also have a shuttle service that will take you to the venue for free each day you stay there. Be sure to check with the front desk when you check-in.
There are eight clay courts used for the tournament at the Foro Italico.
That includes two main court areas, the Central Court and the Next Gen Grandstand arena. You’ll also have access to the grounds area where there are six other courts to watch other matches.
If you don’t want to specifically stay in your seat at a stadium, you’ll have plenty of fun wandering around the entire area of the Foro Italico, as a historical location with much to take in and see.
You’ll want to get there on time to experience everything the venue has to offer. There is a welcome booth, vendors selling souvenirs, all types of food and drink available, and plenty of time to chat with the local Italian tennis fans about the tournament.
You can’t bring any outside food or drink into the venue.
The weather for Rome in May will be springtime and warm, around 75 degrees on average. Make sure you wear light, comfortable clothing, sunscreen, a hat, and comfortable shoes to walk around the grounds. The courts are all outside, so you may want to be prepared for rain with a poncho or umbrella if needed.
Before you enter the event, you’ll want to download the special Italian Open app off of their website. This app will give you up-to-date information on the schedule of matches, allows you to purchase food and drink from the vendors without having to wait in line, and shows you photos and video highlights from the matches. You can also win fun prizes from sponsors of the event.
If you live in the US, you can watch the Italian Open tennis matches live on Tennis Channel.
If you live in Europe, you can watch the Italian Open on Eurosport or Sky Sports.
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Will Boucek is the Founder & CEO of The Tennis Tribe. He has played tennis for over two decades, including in college. Will has worked with ATP & WTA tour players and coaches. He currently lives in Austin TX where he plays USTA leagues & tournaments, writes about tennis, and teaches doubles workshops.