London’s reign of being the venue of the ATP Finals will officially come to an end in 2020 after the Italian city of Turin was named the new host of the season-ending tournament.
A five-year deal will see Turin’s Pala Alpitour stadium host the event between 2021-2025. The venue is the largest indoor stadium in Italy. The Stadium has previously hosted ice hockey games during the 2006 Winter Olympics, as well as numerous international basketball and volleyball events. Its capacity is estimated to be 15,000. Turin’s bid for the ATP Finals was headed by the Italian Tennis Federation and Sport e Salute SpA in partnership with the local government.
“Our congratulations to Turin on putting together such a comprehensive and impressive bid. 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.“ ATP CEO Chris Kermode said in a statement.
The announcement followed recent speculation that the governing body of men’s tennis wanted to relocate the event from London, who has hosted it at The O2 since 2009. Over the past six years, the British capital has welcomed an estimated quarter of a million attendees each year. However, there was a 3.9% decline in attendance in 2018 (243,819 spectators) compared to the previous year.
“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.” Kermode stated.
“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.”
In the selection process, Turin fought off competition from Tokyo, Manchester and Singapore, as well as London. The ATP said that more than 40 countries expressed an interest in hosting the event when the selection process started in August 2018. It will be the third major men’s event to be held in the country.
World No.1 Novak Djokovic has welcomed the decision to move the tournament to a new venue. Whilst the ATP Finals were held in London, the Serbian won the title four times in a row between 2012-2015. Winning the trophy more times than any other player.
“The ATP Finals is the biggest and most prestigious event that we have at the ATP. It’s a tournament that has historically moved around and so I’m very excited to see it move to Turin from 2021.” Said Djokovic.
“It’s still a few years away but I know that the players will be very excited to compete there, and I also hope to be part of what will be a very special event.”
The decision to host the event in Turin is geographically one of the best options given the tour calendar. Prior to the ATP Finals is the final Masters 1000 tournament of the season, which is held in the French capital of Paris. Furthermore, a £65 million financial guarantee was already secured with the help of the government prior to today’s announcement.
On Monday 29th April an official presentation will take place at the Palazzo Madama, Piazza Castello, in Milan.