The Association of Tennis Professionals has today (Wednesday) announced that Turin’s Pala Alpitour will replace The O2 in London as home of its ATP Finals from 2021.
The winning Turin bid was put together by the Italian Tennis Federation (FIT) and Sport e Salute in partnership with the Italian government, the municipality of Turin and Regione Piemonte.
A five-year deal has been agreed, running from 2021 to 2025. The move to Turin brings the ATP Finals to Italy for the first time in its 50-year history and makes Turin the 15th city to host the season-ending tournament of the men’s game since its inception in 1970.
Chris Kermode, ATP executive chairman and president, said: “Italy provides us with one of the strongest and most established tennis markets in Europe and has a proven track record for hosting world class tennis events with the Internazionali BNL d’Italia in Rome, as well as the Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan.
“We’re delighted to expand on our successful partnership with the FIT and Sport e Salute SpA and we look forward to bringing the ATP’s flagship season-ending event to tennis’s growing fanbase in Italy for the first time.”
The tournament has been held at The O2 since 2009 and the venue has a deal in place to host the event until 2020. In August, the ATP opened an international tender process for the hosting rights beyond 2020, with more than 40 cities worldwide having expressed an interest in the contract.
In December, the ATP announced the final shortlist of candidate cities with Turin and London joined by the English city of Manchester, the Japanese capital of Tokyo and Singapore in the final stage of the bidding process.
Kermode added: “The success of the ATP Finals is critical to the health of the ATP and we believe that Turin has all the ingredients to take the event to new heights and to continue the tournament’s growth following a highly successful 12-year stint in London that will come to an end in 2020. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank all our event partners in London, particularly AEG, and all the fans that have made the tournament such a success at The O2 since 2009.”
Developed for Turin’s hosting of the 2006 Winter Olympic Games, the Pala Alpitour is Italy’s largest indoor arena with a capacity of over 14,000. The Italian government boosted Turin’s bid with financial backing to the tune of €78m (£67.6m/$87.4m) and the country is now set to become a major hub for the ATP.
Milan has hosted the ATP’s fledgling Next Gen Finals since 2017, with its current contract set to run through 2021. The Next Gen Finals are held in the week prior to the ATP Finals.
Chiara Appendino, Mayor of Turin, said: “We are extremely proud that Turin has been chosen to host the ATP Finals 2021-2025 as sport has long been a significant part of the history and the culture of our city.
“As a city we will come together to harness the knowhow of a vast range of local experts in organising international sporting events and we are confident that our unique combination of passion and experience will deliver opportunities to appreciate this exhilarating sport in sustainable and innovative ways.”
Image: Pala Alpitour
