At the most beautiful moment. The dream of Jannik Sinner to bring back the trophy of the Italian Internationals back home after 49 years It was shattered in the final against a Carlos Alcaraz in a state of grace. The Spaniard won his first title at the Foro Italico beating the Italian 7-6, 6-1, in a challenge that saw balance only in the first set, played point by point until the tie-break. In the second, Alcaraz imposed his rhythm and closed the match with authority, showing a clear superiority also thanks to the still not optimal physical condition of Sinner, coming back from a three-month stop.
Thus a historic opportunity for the Italian number one, who was aiming to become the first Italian to win the Roman Masters 1000, slips away after Adriano Panatta in 1976. It remains an important milestone: Sinner is the first Italian to reach the final of the tournament since 1978. The crowd at the Foro Italico, who supported him passionately throughout the event, greeted his feat with a standing ovation.
With this defeat, Sinner ialso ends a streak of 26 consecutive victories. Alcaraz, on the other hand, is preparing to become number 2 in the ATP ranking from Monday, consolidating the advantage in the precedents against the Italian national team (7 wins in 12 matches).
Italian tennis shines anyway: Paolini queen of the Forum
Despite the disappointment in the men's final, the blue balance remains triumphant, above all thanks toJasmine Paolini's featThe Italian has written a historic page in women's tennis winning the singles title on Saturday – the first Italian to do so since 1979 – and on Sunday she completed a incredible “double” also winning the final of the double with Sara Errani. “Two crazy and unforgettable weeks,” the two protagonists commented at the end of the match. “Today we played three against two,” joked Paolini, referring to the energy of the Roman crowd.
Italian Internationals: Record Numbers
The 2025 edition of the Internazionali BNL d'Italia closes with exceptional results even off the pitch: over 390 thousand paying spectators, revenues exceeding 35 million euros (+20% compared to 2024) and a economic impact on the territory estimated at 895 million euros. Of these, 410 million come from direct impact, 332 from indirect and 153 million from induced. The tournament has generated or maintained over 7.100 jobs, with 179 million euros in income from work and 147 million in tax revenue.
From 2005 to today, the audience grew by 469%, while the takings have increased almost 18-fold. Rome thus confirms itself as one of the most attractive sports centres in Europe. The total prize pool exceeded 8 million euros for the men's tournament (almost one million for the winner, for Sinner as finalist in his pocket 523.870 euros) and 2 million for the women's one. Supporting the event are historic sponsors such as BNL BNP Paribas, BMW, Reale Mutua and EA7 Emporio Armani.
For Rome the dream of the “fifth Slam”
The success of the Internationals also comes from the infrastructure. The area of the Foro Italico has been expanded from 10 to 20 hectares, the capacity of the Central Stadium has risen from 33 thousand to 55 thousand spectators, and the food & beverage areas have grown by 30%. Added to this are new fields, a completely renovated Fan Village and an area along the Tiber dedicated to training.
The next big step will be the Central Stadium coverage: the works will start after the 2026 edition and will last 18 months, with a planned investment of 60 million eurosThe goal is to make the facility usable for 150 days a year, host up to 18 sports and reach 1,5 million spectators annually.
Numbers and interventions that go in the direction of a ambitious goal: to transform the Rome International in the “fifth Slam” of the circuit. An aspiration reiterated by the president of the Fitp, Angelo Binaghi, which aims to consolidate the tournament among the most important tennis events in the world, keeping it in the heart of the capital – a key element of its charm and identity.
