The head of Italian tennis is planning a fifth Grand Slam—but he has not provided any concrete details.
Angelo Binaghi, president of the Italian Tennis Federation (FITP), has harshly criticized the existing Grand Slam system and is planning nothing less than a revolution. If it were up to Binaghi, the tennis calendar would include another Grand Slam in Italy alongside the major tournaments in Melbourne, Paris, London, and New York. “The monopoly is scandalous and a major handicap for the sport of tennis,” Binaghi criticized the dominance of the current host cities in an interview with, among others, the AFP news agency.
“It is a scandal that there is no performance-based system, but rather that the system protects those who do not do as much for the sport of tennis as they could. There are four countries in the world that have vast amounts of money to invest in tennis—something other nations do not have. I am trying to break this monopoly,” said the 65-year-old. The existing Grand Slams have been around for well over 100 years.
Binaghi said he was ready to organize the new tournament “anywhere in Italy and on any surface,” but remained vague regarding the practical aspects of creating a new Grand Slam tournament. In any case, Rome, where the Masters is currently held, is unsuitable.
Binaghi: “The most beautiful place to play tennis”
“It’s the most beautiful place in the world to play tennis, but it incurs a mountain of additional costs. Every single structure except for Center Court has to be set up and then taken down again, and that puts a strain on the budget,” Binaghi admitted.
Discussions about a fifth Grand Slam are not new. In the past, there has been loose speculation about an additional tournament in Indian Wells or Madrid. So far, there have been no concrete plans from the organizers.