Can the Italian Open really become the fifth Grand Slam in tennis?

History of Tennis Grand Slams

It is believed that the Grand Slam tournaments in their present form trace back to individual tennis events and leagues formed in the 19th and 20th centuries in the United States, Europe and Australia.

In Europe, the International Lawn Tennis Federation (ILTF) was formed with the goal of creating international rules and tournaments. It started three major international tournaments — World Grass Court Championships, World Hard Court Championships (played on clay), and World Covered Court Championships (played on an indoor wood surface).

Davis Cup, the international men’s team tennis championship, was dominated by the four countries – Britain, France, Australia and the United States – for most of its history. In fact, it was not until 1974 that a fifth country won the crown (South Africa, after India refused to play the final as a protest against Apartheid).

As these four countries were traditionally the strongest in the sport of tennis, their national championships were designated “Grand Slam” tournaments. A player who wins all four in a calendar year is said to have achieved the Grand Slam, a term coined by some journalists covering the sport in the early 20th century.

In 1923, all four were designated as “official championships.’ By the 1930s, they were well defined as the most prestigious tournaments in the sport.

Note that the term “Grand Slam” in a similar context was first used to describe Bobby Jone’s achievement of winning all four Majors —- the four most prestigious golfing tournaments — in 1930. The term has even older origins in the card game of contact bridge.

Italy’s argument

Binaghi may be of the view that Grand Slam status should reflect the current state of the game, meaning countries dominant at present should be rewarded.

Italian Jannik Sinner is the Number 1 men’s player in the world, and his compatriot Jasmine Paolini just won the Italian Open women’s singles title. Paolini has been consistent of late in Grand Slam tournaments, and is currently ranked fourth in the world.

Moreover, Italy are the holders of the Davis Cup as well as its women’s equivalent, Billie Jean King Cup. The country has strength in depth with players such as Lorenzo Musetti, Matteo Berretini, Federico Cina and Tyra Caterina Grant.

There are as many as seven Italians inside the top 50 of the ATP singles rankings. Sinner has won three of the last five Grand Slam tournaments, and last year’s ATP Tour Finals.

In contrast, the last American man to win a Grand Slam singles title was Andy Roddick in 2003. The last Brit to do so was Andy Murray in 2016. The last Frenchman to win a Grand Slam was Yannick Noah in 1983. And the last Australian man to win a Grand Slam was Lleyton Hewitt in 2002. While women from these countries have won Grand Slam titles more recently, apart from the dominant Serena Williams of the US, these have not been particularly frequent occurrences.

Italy has also shown its heft on the organisational side. The country hosts one of nine Masters 1000 events, one rung below the Grand Slams. Renovations have been done at the venue, Foro Italico, and more are in the pipeline.

Starting in 2021, Italy has also been staging the World Tour Finals, with its contract extended till 2030. The Davis Cup Final 8 will also be held in Italy for a three-year period starting this November.

Earlier this year, Binaghi expressed interest in acquiring the licence for the Madrid Open, the Masters 1000 event which immediately precedes Rome in the tennis calendar, and is one of the main lead-up tournaments for the French Open. Removing the Spanish capital from the schedule could make Rome an even bigger stop.

The 436 million pound proposal, needed to buy off the Madrid tournament rights, requires the approval of various stakeholders, such as the international tennis governing bodies and various tournament organisers.

The Grand Slam tournaments are overseen by the International Tennis Federation, rather than the men’s and women’s professional tours. The Grand Slam Board represents the Big Four tournaments.

But an uphill task

The burden of tradition is very heavy in a generally traditional sport like tennis.

In recent times, countries like Spain and Serbia have enjoyed considerable success over a period of time — both on the men’s and women’s sides — but there was never a genuine demand to elevate their national championships to Grand Slam status. China too has put a lot of money into organizing big-ticket tennis events, but they also can’t aspire to be at par with the Big Four.

Indian Wells and Miami are huge and prestigious events, and the former is often unofficially called the ‘Fifth Slam’, but nobody seriously considers it so.

The Italian Open’s proximity to Roland Garros and the fact that both tournaments are played on clay could also work against the bid, at a time when scheduling issues and player fatigue and injuries are significant concerns. Having too much of a good thing could be detrimental to the popularity of the sport.

Above all, traditionalists are not likely to see it as a positive development, not to mention the rewriting of record books and Grand Slam records it may prompt.