ATP Finals, Andrea Gaudenzi: "Still no decision on venue since 2027"

Attp President Andrea Gaudenzi spoke about the future of the ATP Finals, which until next year will be played in Turin but from 2027 will probably move to another Italian city, currently unknown. Here are the words of the former blue No. 1: “A decision has not been made yet. We have not yet started talking about what will happen in 2027, 2028, 2039 and 2030. The infrastructure, the fan experience and the spaces set aside for players will be the criteria that will be evaluated to choose the next destination”.

“This is a fantastic edition, in Turin we started with Covid and every year the event has improved. Especially this edition is exciting because we have the fight for number one. In my opinion it has to be considered a combination between experience for the players, experience for the fans and also potential for the market because we want to be attractive from a foreign point of view, to have the possibility of fans coming from abroad, so it’s a combination of things. There is no one criterion, Turin has shown so much, it has done what it had to do, that is not the issue, it is an internal discussion, a review process that is right to have”.

“For me the call to the government is: very well you want to be involved in the sport, tennis on the one hand is a big strength that we have, on the other hand it is a weakness that requires a huge investment in infrastructure, because in this sport you have a huge facility that you use at most two or three weeks a year. Roland Garros is wonderful, so is Wimbledon and the Australian Open. These are all multibillion-dollar investments. To give you an’idea Saudi, the new Masters 1000, will have a 2.5 billion investment, that investment if it doesn&#8217t come from a government with the economics of the tournament, you don&#8217t justify it. So the priority the government should have is to support the federation for infrastructure if it really wants to grow. Without government support, it is not easy”.

“With Fitp we have a contract, if they are able to fulfill the contract there is no problem, we have very good relations. If, on the other hand, they are somehow put in a position by the government that they cannot fulfill the contract, then a problem may arise. We are not at that point yet, they are working with the government to try to maintain prerogatives”.