Italy will host a new grass-court ATP 250 tournament in Milan from 2028, with matches likely staged at the San Siro, the Italian Tennis and Padel Federation has announced. Federation president Angelo Binaghi said the body has acquired the rights to a 250-level event that had been held in Brussels in October and plans to shift it to a June slot as a Wimbledon warm-up.
For climate reasons the tournament will be located in northern Italy, and Milan’s San Siro — the 75,000-plus-seat home of AC Milan and Inter — is expected to be a leading option. Binaghi said the venue decision is not yet final but highlighted recent examples such as the Madrid Open adding practice courts inside Real Madrid’s Santiago Bernabeu, suggesting converting a major football stadium for tennis would be feasible and nothing unprecedented.
Italy has already experimented with grass events, hosting a WTA tournament in Gaiba from 2022 to 2024. The federation also runs several high-profile competitions at home: the ATP Finals (currently in Turin) through 2030, the Davis Cup Finals in Bologna through next year, and the Rome Masters on clay ahead of Roland Garros.
Plans are also under way at the Foro Italico, where work on a retractable roof for the Campo Centrale is scheduled to begin immediately after this year’s Internazionali BNL d’Italia and be completed in time for the 2028 tournament. Binaghi said he hopes to raise the profile of Italian events, aiming to rival top tournaments like Indian Wells and eventually push Rome toward the stature of a fifth Grand Slam alongside the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and US Open.
On the player side, home favourite Jannik Sinner is targeting a breakthrough at the Foro Italico, seeking to become the first Italian man to win the singles title there since Adriano Panatta five decades ago.