FITP President Angelo Binaghi Wants Italian Open to Become 5th Grand Slam: “We Need to Challenge a Monopoly”

Home favorite Jannik Sinner grabbed the ATP Finals in Turin for the second consecutive time.

FITP President Angelo Binaghi Wants Italian Open to Become 5th Grand Slam: “We Need to Challenge a Monopoly”

Angelo Binaghi (Image via FITP)

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The Italian Open the fifth Grand Slam event of the season? Angelo Binaghi, the ambitious president of the Italian Tennis and Padel Federation (FITP), thinks it’s possible.

He wants tennis to surpass football’s popularity in Italy. The country hosts some of the biggest events of the season: the Masters 1000 Italian Open, the ATP Finals, and the Davis Cup Finals.

We need to challenge a monopoly that has lasted for many years, but in Italy, there are extraordinary conditions at this moment. We are holders of the Davis Cup and the Billie Jean King Cup, we have the strongest player in the world. When will these situations happen again?

Angelo Binaghi said (H/T:Ubitennis)

In the four Majors this year, Jannik Sinner defended the Australian Open and clinched his career’s first Wimbledon title. Carlos Alcaraz defended his French Open and denied Sinner his second consecutive title at the US Open.

In the Italian Open this season, for the first time, home favorite Sinner reached the final. It was his first tournament after his three-month doping ban. He couldn’t end the match in his favor, however, losing it to Alcaraz in what was also the first of the sixth meeting this season.

Angelo Binaghi lauds Jannik Sinner after his ATP Finals win

Jannik Sinner met Carlos Alcaraz for the sixth and last time this season at the ATP Finals. The four-time Grand Slam champion improved his winning streak on the indoor hardcourt with a straight-set win over the six-time Grand Slam champion. Angelo Binaghi couldn’t be more happier to see Sinner win in Turin once again.

Jannik Sinner
Jannik Sinner (Image via X/Jannik Sinner HQ)

Sinner is a great guy, and it was an incredible match. Above all, it was a great satisfaction that Turin, Piedmont, and all of our country deserve, especially all the people who watched this match live, and therefore the millions and millions of Italians who suffered with us and then finally rejoiced. It is a great national popular celebration.

Angelo Binaghi told RTL 102.5

Sinner, however, skipped the Davis Cup that is underway in Bologna. The 24-year-old wants to have an extra week off to start his pre-season early. The home team, also the two-time defending champion, knocked out Austria in the quarterfinals to schedule the semifinal match against Belgium. In the previous two seasons, Sinenr did not lose a singles or doubles match in the prestigious event.

The passion of Italians toward tennis is growing; it is a fantastic moment, and I hope it never ends. The credit goes, first and foremost, to the kids. We are happy to have given this opportunity to Jannik and now to Lorenzo Musetti, as well as [Simone] Bolelli and [Andrea] Vavassori. They will play one of the most important tournaments of the year in Italy, with cheers and their spectators for the next five years.

Angelo Binaghi added

Sinner took home six titles from 10 finals this season, the second-most this season following Alcaraz. His title tally, apart from the ATP Finals, also includes three more Big Titles: the Australian Open, Wimbledon, and the Paris Masters.

Sinner, however, couldn’t end the season as a No.1 player because of Alcaraz’s semifinal qualification in the season-ending championship. Apart from the six titles, Sinner also grabbed the Six Kings Slam by defeating his arch-rival for the second consecutive time. The South Tyrol native trails 6-10 in the head-to-head matchups against the World No.1.

The ATP Finals win was Sinner’s second win in their last nine meetings. Sinner is also on a 31-match winning streak on indoor hardcourt events, with his last defeat on the surface coming in the championship clash of the 2023 ATP Finals.

Also read: Carlos Alcaraz Makes Big Predictions About Joao Fonseca’s Future on Tour