Binaghi: “We will reach the threshold of 300,000 paying spectators”
The Internazionali Bnl d’Italia tennis team will be even richer starting this year on the occasion of the 80th edition of the tournament, with three unforgettable weeks. The Foro Italico Park is preparing for the most beautiful and intense tennis festival in its history for an edition scheduled from 2 to 21 May, the first of the Roman tournament with an upgrade: three weeks of competitions, over 300 matches, double samples in action, within a bigger, more beautiful and functional site. The tournament was officially presented this morning at the Fencing Academy of the Foro Italico; the press conference was attended by the President of the Italian Tennis and Padel Federation Angelo Binaghi, the Minister of Sport and Youth Andrea Abodi, the Mayor of Rome Roberto Gualtieri, the CEO of Bnl and Head of the Bnp Paribas Group in Italy Elena Goitini and the President and Chief Executive Officer of Sport and Health Vito Cozzoli.
“To date we have already sold 175,000 tickets, we will reach the threshold of 300,000 paying spectators and in these 15 days the 150,000 presences of insiders must be added to these 300,000. We are talking about a movement of almost half a million daily admissions. The record collection established last year, more than 16 million, has already been exceeded this year when there are still 10 days to go since we have already collected 17 million, and we will reach around 21.5 million euros. turnover, which increased from 15 million to 170 this year, from 2002 to 2023 with an increase of +1079”, announced the president of Fitp Angelo Binaghi at the presentation of the Internazionali Bnl d’Italia. Without Berrettini injured but with Sinner and a blue Next Gen never so hungry for glory in a dream scenario, Binaghi expects the spark: “I’m not starting to finish second”, added the president of Fitp, and then responded to Sinner who recently declared how tennis can hardly achieve football popularity. “I think it is underestimated, especially on what we can do together. I tell Jannik that his analysis would be correct if he had already won the Internationals and the Slams, and therefore if we had already monetized his great results, the ones we are sure he will achieve in the short term. We continue to store wood, then we just wait for the spark from him, after that a fire will start ”.
“We are in a place that seems abandoned but is an open construction site and gives the sign of a visionary, passionate operation that gives the sense that this place, the park of the Foro Italico, can become a matter of course for us but we appreciate every time its beauty. I entered here for the first time 40 years ago, as a young apprentice, full of dreams, I find myself here as a minister after 40 years full of dreams. In the knowledge that numbers are very much, they are not everything, but they represent, quality, commitment, professionalism, merit.It is clear that with the entire tennis community he represents the Italian sports system and beyond”, declared the Minister for Sports and Youth Andrea Abodi at the presentation of the Internazionali Bnl d’ Italy of tennis in the Fencing Academy at the Foro Italico.
For the thirteenth consecutive time the tournament, organized by Fitp and Sport e Salute and with the support of the Title Sponsor BNL, will be played with the combined formula, but with the epochal novelty of the upgrade: the number of players in the ATP 1000 and WTA 1000 draws will, in fact, rise to 96 units. An historic edition already a record: the forecast is to exceed 300,000 attendances and the record of over 16 million euros in collections recorded in 2022. A figure that has allowed the FITP to donate over 160,000 euros to the Ukrainian Tennis Federation: a concrete commitment against the war for which the official thanks of the ITF have come.
“It’s a longer, bigger and more significant edition of the Internazionali Bnl. We are here, in this iconic place (the Fencing Academy of the Foro Italico with work in progress) with a beautiful metaphor. Rome is preparing to do even better, lots of work in progress and I congratulate Sport and Health for the recovery of this place. There is a sense of teamwork in enhancing this event, a great asset for the Federation and the city of Rome ”, added the mayor of Rome, Roberto Gualtieri, in his speech.
“The overall project of the Foro Italico area, with a clear and defined masterplan that allowed us to raise 80 million from the government at the time, will aim to protect the artistic, historical and sporting heritage of this unique place. We contemporaries did not build it, but taking care of it is our duty. This is an extraordinary urban regeneration project that will end in 2026. The tournament has grown and with it the park that hosts it has grown. A bigger, more beautiful, greener and more sustainable park”, underlined Vito Cozzoli, president and CEO of Sport and Health.
The entry lists ensure the usual great show: the top ten players in the ATP rankings and the top 70 players in the WTA world rankings have confirmed their participation in the tournament, starting with the reigning champions Iga Swiatek and Novak Djokovic. There are eight Azzurri admitted by right to the main draws: Martina Trevisan, Camila Giorgi, Elisabetta Cocciaretto and Jasmine Paolini in the WTA main draw; Jannik Sinner, Lorenzo Musetti, Lorenzo Sonego and Marco Cecchinato in the ATP main draw.
The first exchanges of this historic edition of the Foro Italico tournament will take place on May 2, the start date of the pre-qualifications. Qualifying matches are scheduled for 8 and 9 May; the matches valid for the women’s main draw will start on May 9, while the men’s first round matches are scheduled from May 10. After a succession of emotions and over three hundred matches, on May 20 the Foro Italico will crown its new Queen, while on May 21 the grand finale with the last act of the ATP draw. The daytime session will start at 11, the evening session is scheduled from 19. The game program thus distributed will allow fans to benefit from two important innovations: the central super-weekend – with as many as 40 matches scheduled for Saturday 13 and 24 match scheduled for Sunday 14 May – and the super-Saturday that on 20 May will see the two men’s semi-finals and the women’s final played out.
In 2023, the wild cards in the FITP wanted to reward the young talents of blue tennis and honor the career and dedication of two tennis players who have made the history of Italian tennis over the last 15 years, both on the Tour and with the national. The wild cards for the men’s main draw were assigned to Matteo Arnaldi, Fabio Fognini, Luca Nardi, Francesco Passaro and Giulio Zeppieri; the wild cards for the men’s qualifications go to Mattia Bellucci, Flavio Cobolli, Matteo Gigante and Francesco Maestrelli. The wild cards for direct access to the women’s main draw were awarded to Sara Errani, Lucia Bronzetti, Lucrezia Stefanini, Nuria Brancaccio, Camilla Rosatello, Matilde Paoletti, Diletta Cherubini and Lisa Pigato. The wild cards for the women’s qualifications go to Martina Colmegna, Angelica Moratelli, Anna Turati, Deborah Chiesa and Federica Urgesi.
The Colosseum and the Spanish Steps: the two most evocative and iconic places in the Eternal City. For the first official act of the Internazionali BNL d’Italia – the draws for the two main draws – two of the most fascinating and photographed places in the city have been chosen. The pairings of the WTA 1000 draw will be unveiled on Sunday 7 May at the Colle Oppio Park, overlooking the magnificent Flavian Amphitheater, symbol of the city of Rome. The following day, in front of the most photographed staircase in the world, the main draw of the tournament will be unveiled ATP 1000.
A restyling worthy of the historic significance of this 2023 edition of the Roman tournament. As has already happened in the past with reversed parts, when on the occasion of the World and European swimming championships the spaces of the Pietrangeli stadium and the Centrale stadium were destined for swimming and synchronized swimming competitions, now it will be tennis that will take over the keys to the house of the I swim. For the first time, tennis players will enter the areas usually reserved for swimmers (changing rooms, players lounge, gym, restaurants and relaxation areas) thus allowing the Roman site to develop over a total area of 125,000 m2. Within the site there are 17 matchpractice courts, with Central Court, Nicola Pietrangeli Stadium, Grand Stand Arena and the brand new court number 12 taking on the role of main and television courts. The suspension bridge, one of the most beautiful, modern and impactful improvements of the ‘new Forum’, will allow tennis players to pass from the swimming pool area to their dedicated area inside the Centre. An evocative glance for photographers and enthusiasts, and a fascinating novelty for the already magnificent postcard of the Foro Italico Park.
The Foro Italico event will benefit from widespread television coverage. The men’s tournament will be visible entirely on Sky Sport and streaming on Now. From 10 to 21 May the 80th edition of the men’s tournament of the ATP Masters 1000 tennis circuit will be live on two dedicated channels, Sky Sport Tennis and Sky Sport Uno, to better follow the Roman event, moreover, one ATP match per day it will be broadcast free-to-air and live on Mediaset channels and a second will be broadcast on SuperTennis in the evening. For the 15th consecutive year, FITP TV will broadcast all the matches of the women’s draw in full, unencrypted and live. The emotions of the matches will be enriched by live studies which, with guests and interviews with the protagonists, will delve into all the stories of the Roman tournament. The matches of the women’s event will also be visible simultaneously on the SuperTenniX digital platform (free registration for members; packages of 3.99 euros per month or 34.99 euros annually for non-members). Furthermore, starting from May 1st, the SuperTennis schedule will be even richer thanks to HbbTV which will allow fans to view additional channels for free, easily accessible from their remote control.
Source-www.adnkronos.com