ATP Fantasy Tools

The Italian Open, officially known as the Internazionali BNL d'Italia, is an annual professional tennis tournament held in Rome, Italy. It is played on outdoor clay courts at the Foro Italico, and is held during the second week of May.

Tournament Schedule

Qualifying: Monday, 4 May and Tuesday, 5 May at 10 a.m.
Main Draw: Wednesday, 6 May – Saturday, 16 May.
Doubles Final: Sunday, 17 May, not before 2 p.m.
Singles Final: Sunday, 17 May, not before 5 p.m.

Prize Money and Ranking Points

Total Prize Money: € 8,235,540

Round	Prize Money	Ranking Points
Winner	€ 1,007,165	1,000
Finalist	€ 535,585	650
Semi-finalist	€ 297,550	400
Quarter-finalist	€ 169,375	200
Round of 16	€ 92,470	100
Round of 32	€ 54,110	50
Round of 64	€ 31,585	30
Round of 96	€ 21,285	10

History

The Italian Open is one of tennis's oldest and most prestigious clay-court tournaments, first held in 1930 at the Tennis Club of Milan with American Bill Tilden as the inaugural champion. After being suspended between 1936 and 1949, the tournament resumed and has been held at the iconic Foro Italico in Rome since 1935 (with only a brief detour to Turin in 1961 for the 100th Anniversary of the Unification of Italy). Rafael Nadal stands alone as the most successful player in tournament history, with a record 10 singles titles, while Novak Djokovic follows on six. The men's and women's events have been combined since 2011, and from 2023, the tournament has expanded to a 12-day Masters 1000 format. The 2026 edition marks the 83rd edition of one of the most beloved stops on the European clay swing.

Tournament Data

Rome is played at near sea level (approximately 20 metres / 65 feet above sea level), in stark contrast to Madrid's high-altitude conditions. This, combined with the traditionally heavier and more grippy clay at the Foro Italico, makes Rome one of the slowest stops on the entire ATP calendar.

These are the stats from recent years (2024 shown for reference, with consistent trends over the last five years):

Approximately 5-6% Aces per service game (significantly lower than Madrid's ~8.5%)
Surface Speed Rating: 0.67 (Tennis Abstract, 2024) – one of the slowest on tour, very close to Roland Garros (0.66) and slower than Madrid (0.82)
Noticeably lower % points won on first serve and lower service hold % than at Madrid
Longer average rallies, fewer free points on serve, and significantly higher physical demands

Tournament Past Winners

Year	Winner	Runner Up	Semi-finalist 1	Semi-finalist 2
2025	Carlos Alcaraz	Jannik Sinner	Lorenzo Musetti	Tommy Paul
2024	Alexander Zverev	Nicolas Jarry	Alejandro Tabilo	Tommy Paul
2023	Daniil Medvedev	Holger Rune	Stefanos Tsitsipas	Casper Ruud
2022	Novak Djokovic	Stefanos Tsitsipas	Casper Ruud	Alexander Zverev
2021	Rafael Nadal	Novak Djokovic	Reilly Opelka	Lorenzo Sonego

Weather

This fortnight in Rome, conditions look classically variable for late-spring in the Italian capital: daytime temperatures will range between 18–23°C (64–73°F), with cooler mornings and evenings around 11–14°C (52–57°F); humidity will sit between 60–75%; winds will be light to moderate, around 10–20 km/h (6–12 mph); and the forecast suggests a mix of sunny spells and several scattered rain showers, particularly in the opening days. Rain delays are a realistic possibility and have been a regular feature in recent Rome editions.

Key 2026 News and Storylines

Major Withdrawals (Star Power Hit Hard Again)

Carlos Alcaraz (World No. 2, Spain, Defending Champion) - OUT with the same right wrist injury that ruled him out of Barcelona and Madrid. The Spaniard will not defend his Rome title and has also confirmed he will skip Roland Garros, putting long-term health first. A massive blow for the tournament, losing the reigning champion just weeks after Madrid lost him too.
Jack Draper (World No. 28) - OUT with the right knee tendon injury that ended his Madrid and Barcelona campaigns. He will continue to drop ranking points after his deep run last year in Madrid and is now down to around No. 50 in the live rankings.
Taylor Fritz (World No. 7) - OUT with ongoing physical issues. Has still not played a clay match in 2026.
Holger Rune (World No. 39) - OUT, continuing his recovery from an Achilles tendon injury. Now expected back in Hamburg.
Sebastian Korda - OUT, extending his clay-swing absence after his Miami run. Loses 50 points from his 2025 third-round result.
Other notable ATP absences: Reilly Opelka, Raphaël Collignon, Gabriel Diallo, Arthur Cazaux, Kamil Majchrzak, Eliot Spizzirri.

Key Players In (or Status to Watch)

Jannik Sinner (World No. 1, Italy) - IN and the unanimous favourite. Fresh off his Madrid title (defeating Zverev in the final), Sinner arrives in Rome on a 28-match ATP Masters 1000 winning streak, matching Djokovic's record. He is chasing a record-extending sixth consecutive Masters 1000 crown. Most importantly, a Rome title would complete his Career Golden Masters - he has won every other Masters 1000 except Rome. Playing at home only adds to the narrative.
Alexander Zverev (World No. 3) - IN and looking to bounce back after his Madrid final loss to Sinner. The German has won Rome before (2017) and reached the final in 2018 and 2024 – he knows how to navigate these courts.
Novak Djokovic (World No. 4) - IN, returning to the tour after recovering from his shoulder injury. This is his first clay event of 2026, so questions over his match sharpness remain. A six-time Rome champion, Djokovic is always dangerous in the Italian capital regardless of form coming in.
Lorenzo Musetti (World No. 8 seed, Italy) - IN. Last year's semifinalist and playing in front of a fervent home crowd, the Italian is one of the genuine title contenders alongside Sinner. The most natural clay player in the field, Musetti has a real chance to deliver Italy's first Rome champion since 1976 if his body holds up.
Casper Ruud - IN. A two-time Rome semifinalist (2022, 2023) and natural clay-courter, Ruud is past his Monte Carlo injury and finally healthy. Has already commented on the slow Rome conditions and is comfortable on the heavy dirt.

With Alcaraz, Draper, Fritz, and Rune all missing, the door is wide open for Sinner, Zverev, Djokovic, Musetti, and the chasing pack. Rome's slow, demanding clay should reward patient baseliners, heavy topspin hitters, and players with deep clay-court tradition – the polar opposite of last week's high-altitude conditions in Madrid.

Tournament Draws

Here are the links to the draws that you can check anytime to follow the latest updates and see which players advance through each round.

Summary

Rome offers some of the slowest clay conditions on the entire ATP tour – the exact opposite of what we just saw in Madrid. The near-sea-level altitude, heavier balls, and grippy red dirt mean longer rallies, more physical matches, and a much higher premium on patience, defence, and pure clay-court craft.

So, expect slow-and-heavy conditions favouring grinders, heavy topspin hitters, and players with elite court coverage and clay-court IQ. Those who thrived on Madrid's fast bounces and big serves will need to find a new gear here. With Alcaraz out and Sinner chasing both a Career Golden Masters and a sixth consecutive Masters 1000 title at home, all eyes will be on the Italian No. 1 – but expect Djokovic, Zverev, and a fired-up Musetti to make him work for every point.

Ready for two weeks of classic European clay tennis at the historic Foro Italico? With Sinner chasing history and his maiden Rome title on home soil, and Italy hoping to finally end its 50-year wait for a home champion, this could be one of the most narrative-rich Rome editions in years. Let's see who handles the slow conditions best and cashes in the fantasy points!

Did You Know?

Longest final in ATP Masters 1000 history - Rafael Nadal's 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, 4-6, 7-6(6) win over Guillermo Coria in the 2005 Rome final lasted 5 hours and 14 minutes. It is still the longest final in ATP Masters 1000 series history (since 1990) and was Nadal's very first Rome title at just 18 years old.
Rafael Nadal won Rome a record 10 times – more times than any player has won a single Masters 1000 event in history (matched only by his own 12 at Monte Carlo). Six of those finals came against Roger Federer or Novak Djokovic. And yet, despite Rome being one of the oldest tournaments in the sport, Italy has not crowned a home champion since Adriano Panatta in 1976 – a 50-year drought that Lorenzo Musetti or Jannik Sinner could finally end in 2026.