Rome, Piazza del Popolo becomes a large tennis court for the Internazionali d'Italia

Pre-qualifying began yesterday for the Internazionali BNL d’Italia, the tennis tournament played in Rome ’s Foro Italico, one of the most important on the ATP and WTA circuits: the main draw, from May 6 to May 19, will see the sport’s leading champions compete in a tournament that has been held since 1930, for both the men’s and women’s sides, and which in the past has seen such tennis players as Adriano Panatta, Björn Borg, Ivan Lendl, Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi, Rafael Naval, and Novak Djokovic triumph among the men, and among the women Chris Evert, Gabriela Sabatini, Steffi Graf, Monica Seles, and Serena Williams. What does all this have to do with art? Well, for the pre-qualifying, that is, the tournament that will award two wild cards for the main qualifying draw (which in turn will determine the last places for the main draw, the one into which the top of the rankings will enter, with in the men’s field our own Jannik Sinner already ready to do battle with the various Djokovic, Alcaraz and colleagues), a special tennis court has been set up in Piazza del Popolo. This is the first time that the square becomes a kind of stadium to follow the sport.

A large clay court set up right in front of the twin churches (Santa Maria in Montesanto and Santa Maria dei Miracoli), which has been hosting some pre-qualifying matches since yesterday, which, moreover, will be open to everyone free of charge. The square will thus remain set up until May 19, that is, until the last day of the Internationals: once the pre-qualifications are over, it can be used for training by girls and boys from Italian Tennis Federation clubs. The first tennis players to take the court in Piazza del Popolo were Marcello Serafini and Luca Giacomini with the latter’s victory coming in the third set thanks to the withdrawal of Serafini, who surrendered to a right arm problem when the score was 36 63 14 in his favor. Before the match, however, there was time for an opening ceremony on the court in the presence of the Director of the Internazionali d’Italia, Paolo Lorenzi, and Alessandro Onorato, Assessore allo Sport, Turismo, Moda e Grandi Eventi di Roma Capitale.

d’Italia

Tennis court in Piazzad’Italia

“It’s a dream come true,” Onorato said. “I don’t know how many could have imagined that in Piazza del Popolo, one of the most beautiful squares in the world, we could put a regulation tennis court in the ground in such a short time and make these ’pre quali’ matches free of charge regardless of social class: anyone can come here today, sit down and watch the matches. This is the highest form of promoting sports and our increasingly modern city that must have the courage to experiment. I would like to thank FITP, which invested in making the facility, Sport and Health and everyone who worked to make sure this field was there. It is proof that Rome when it puts itself to the test always wins and today, together, all of us, we write a small page of very valuable history.”

Words of praise also came from the mayor of Rome, Roberto Gualtieri, during his speech in Piazza del Popolo: “I am happy and excited, this is the most beautiful tennis court in the world with a unique setting as unique as Rome is. It was a lot of work, in the end we succeeded thanks to the organization of the Internazionali BNL d’Italia, Councillor Onorato and the Superintendence. In this way, by bringing the pre-qualifying matches to this splendid setting, we signal an increasingly close relationship between Rome and the Internazionali BNL d’Italia.”

“We have to thank the city of Rome for building this court in Piazza del Popolo, it is really something exceptional, it is a goal that has been achieved,” said Filippo Volandri, captain of the Italian national tennis team. “Now we are bringing the tournament there with ’pre quali’, something that had never happened before, so that even more people can get closer to tennis.”

Tennis court ind’Italia

Tennis court in Piazzad’Italia

“Being able to bring tennis to such an important square is something unique,” said Internazionali BNL d’Italia director Paolo Lorenzi. “I also received photos from Madrid and they complimented me on the beauty of this court. Playing here is a great promotion for tennis and for Rome. This is just the beginning, the goal will be to bring exhibitions during the tournament, I think it will be something spectacular.”

The opener was not a lucky one because as early as today the rain that began to fall on Rome forced the organization to postpone the matches that were to be played today. However, the weather does not extinguish discussions: should spaces such as Piazza del Popolo remain completely free, open to citizens and tourists without anything being installed there even if only for a few days (although there will be those who will say that twenty days is still too long), or can they lend themselves to becoming playing fields? The experiment is obviously not new because it often happens that squares become theaters for different kinds of events, but this is the first time that People’s Square has been turned into a tennis court, and for so long. There will therefore be those who will inevitably turn up their noses. The debate is open.

Rome, Piazza del Popolo becomes a large tennis court for the Internazionali d'Italia

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