Turin, July 17 (IANS) The ATP Finals will continue to be hosted in Turin at least through 2026, the Italian Tennis and Padel Federation confirmed on Thursday, offering short-term clarity amid growing political uncertainty about the tournament’s future in Italy.
The prestigious year-end event, which features the top eight singles players and doubles teams, has been staged in Turin since 2021 and will return to the Inalpi Arena in November this year. While an agreement to keep the ATP Finals in Italy until 2030 was announced last November by ATP chairman Andrea Gaudenzi, the contract did not specify if the host city would remain Turin or shift to Milan, where a new arena is being built for ice hockey ahead of the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics.
“At least until 2026, the ATP Finals will be contested in Turin,” said Angelo Binaghi, president of the Italian Tennis and Padel Federation, in a statement on Thursday. The confirmation secures the event in its current location for two more editions — this November and again in 2026.
However, Binaghi warned that a newly introduced government decree could jeopardize the federation’s control over the tournament and potentially prompt the ATP to move the event elsewhere, possibly ending its Italian chapter earlier than expected.
“It’s upsetting that this is happening during the greatest moment in the history of Italian tennis,” Binaghi said, referring to Jannik Sinner’s historic Wimbledon triumph on Sunday — the first by an Italian in men’s singles at the All England Club.
“But we will do everything we can to keep the tournament here,” Binaghi added, underscoring the federation’s commitment to preserving the Finals’ current home.
The political tension centers around new legislative measures that could diminish the Italian federation’s authority in organizing high-profile international sporting events like the ATP Finals. Details of the decree remain unclear, but the uncertainty it brings has raised concerns about the stability of Turin’s status as host city beyond 2026.
The ATP Finals had a 12-year run in London before moving to Turin in 2021. The city has since embraced the tournament, and local support was further bolstered when home favorite Jannik Sinner thrilled fans by winning the ATP Finals title in 2024 — a major milestone that helped spark a new golden era in Italian tennis.
–IANS
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