Rome hosts 2025 edition of Internazionali BNL d’Italia at Foro Italico.

Rome welcomed the Internazionali BNL d’Italia tennis tournament, also known as the Italian Open, by unveiling a red clay court in the central Piazza del Popolo on Tuesday.

The raised court will host the men’s and women’s pre-qualification matches, in collaboration between the city and Federtennis, as part of the 82nd edition of the prestigious tennis event which takes place at the Foro Italico from 7-18 May.

The clay court returns to Piazza del Popolo for the second year in a row, moving to the other side of the square this year, opposite the Pincio.

The pre-qualifying matches will be played twice a day, at 11.00 and 15.00, all of which can be viewed by the public free of charge.

“The hope is to bring some big names to the court, at least for a few minutes” – writes La Repubblica newspaper – “like Matteo Berrettini, Carlos Alcaraz and the Italian number one in women’s tennis Jasmine Paolini.”

The court will remain in place until 18 May for use by young players from local tennis clubs and it will host a special edition of Tennis&Friends on 10 May.

In the piazza outside the court, tennis coaches are also on hand to introduce children to the sport and teach them the basics of the game.

The Internazionali BNL d’Italia, or Rome Masters, takes place at the Foro Italico sporting complex and will be played on a red clay surface across 14 courts.

For full details see the Internazionali BNL d’Italia website. Photo 2024 Internazionali BNL d’Italia.