Foro Italico upgrades for fan-players ennobling experience

Article posted by Coliseum, May 12^th, 2026

Image: Internazionall BNL d'Italia

The Internazionali BNL d’Italia (Italy) – the Italian Open – is famed for offering fans an engaging fan experience on the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) Tour (the sole worldwide top-tier tennis tour for Men).

For the 2026 edition of the Italian Open, which is underway from May 6^th and will conclude on May 17^th, the tournament has announced further upgrades to the stages on which the sport’s biggest stars are presently battling which will result in an elevating experience both for the players and the fans.

‘ATP’ stated that the clay ATP Masters 1000 event in Rome (Italy) is held at the historic Foro Italico sports complex and boasts some of the world’s most iconic tennis courts, not least its main stadium, the Campo Centrale, and the statue-lined Stadio Pietrangeli.

The Italian Open or Internazionali BNL d’Italia (for sponsorship reasons) is an annual professional tennis tournament held in Rome, Italy.

London (UK)-based the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) is the governing body of the Men’s professional tennis circuits – the ATP Tour and the ATP Challenger Tour. It was formed in September 1972 by Donald Dell, Jack Kramer and Cliff Drysdale to protect the interests of the professional tennis players.

The ATP Challenger Tour is a series of international Men’s professional tennis tournaments. It was founded in 1976 as a replacement for the ILTF Satellite Circuit (founded in 1971) as the second tier of tennis.

The Foro Italico is a sports complex in Rome, Italy, on the slopes of Monte Mario.

The 10,580-capacity Campo Centrale, sometimes simply called the ‘central court’, is a sports facility in Rome. It is the main tennis stadium of the Foro Italico sports complex and of Italy.

The 3,720-seat Nicola Pietrangeli Stadium is a sports facility in Rome (Italy) inaugurated in 1934. It is the third-largest tennis stadium in the Foro Italico sports complex and the oldest.

Improvisations

‘ATP’ further stated that the Foro Italico’s second court, the Grand Stand Arena, has this year been redesigned to stand in the middle of the 5,280-capacity Stadio dei Marmi athletics track: It has been renamed as the BNP Paribas Arena and will have an increased capacity of more than 7,000 spectators.

Fan Experience

Meanwhile, a new SuperTennis Arena, built opposite the Campo Centrale, will showcase polygonal architecture designed to bring the fans even closer to the on-court action. The restoration of the historic surfaces, the replacement of large asphalted areas with natural paving, the expansion of equipped green spaces, and the creation of new areas dedicated to fitness, relaxation and study has been implemented around the tournament site to provide the fans a totally enriching experience.

Restyling Project

Circa €160 million has been invested in the restyling project which aims to make the Foro Italico an increasingly accessible place throughout the year. Other additions to the site, where Carlos Alcaraz (Spanish tennis player) and the home favorite Jasmine Paolini (Italian tennis player) lifted the singles trophies at the 2025 Italian Open, include the enhancement of the Stadio dei Marmi with a new museum route dedicated to Italian sport.

The upgrades in Rome are part of a broader wave of major infrastructure investments across the ATP’s top-tier events including in Cincinnati (US), Shanghai (China), Madrid (Spain), Paris (France), and more. These developments have been driven by landmark reforms under OneVision, the ATP’s long-term strategic plan, aimed at elevating the sport’s premium product and enhancing the fan and player experience.

Key Question:

Will the ATP’s OneVision program help boost the fan and player experience across its top-tier events?

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