The impossibility to travel internationally during the COVID-19 pandemic has prompted several initiatives to organize small events with local players to offer some of the pros a chance to play matches waiting for the ATP and WTA Tours to resume. In Italy, MEF Tennis Event, a company that has been organizing national and international tournaments for the past 10 years, has decided to launch the MEF Tennis Tour, a summer circuit that will see four events take place in Italy starting on 15 June.
The first event of the MEF Tennis Tour will be the 2020 edition of the “Campionati Italiani Assoluti”, an old and prestigious national event that used to crown the “National Champion” in Italy that was discontinued in 2004. The list of winners for the event sees 2-time Major champion Nicola Pietrangeli, and former Top-10 Corrado Barazzutti and former Davis Cup captain Fausto Gardini all appear seven times each, with Lucia Valerio and Lea Pericoli dominate the competition among the ladies with 10 titles apiece. Furthermore, in 1970 a memorable five-set final between 20-year-old up-and-comer Adriano Panatta and the 36-year-old veteran Pietrangeli is widely considered to have been the “changing of the guard” between two generations of Italian players.
“While we wait for a new confirmed date for the 2020 Internazionali BNL d’Italia next September – explains the President of the Italian Tennis Federation (FIT) Angelo Binaghi – we are thrilled to see through the launch of a new circuit of events with a new edition of the ‘Campionati Assoluti’. These events will provide our players the opportunity to compete at the top level in maximum safety, and it will give our fans the chance to enjoy exciting live matches on television”.
The event will take place in Todi, a small village near Perugia in Central Italy, on the clay courts of the local Tennis Club. The men’s tournament will have a 32-player draw while the women’s event will see 16 players compete for the national title. Italian free-to-air television SuperTennis will broadcast all matches live in Italy, and the feed will also be available in streaming through the tournament’s website and social media accounts. ATP n. 11 Fabio Fognini was announced to be among the participants by FIT, but the player later issued a note saying his participation is still not confirmed. There will be however most Italian top ATP and WTA players, including some of the top juniors in the country who will be able to avail of some of the four wild-cards made available to FIT Technical Directors Filippo Volandri and Tathiana Garbin.
At the moment sporting events, even behind closed doors, are still prohibited in Italy as a measure to curb the spread of the COVID-19 disease, but the Government is due to review its policy within the next few weeks. The event is therefore pending governmental approval, but it will be ready to go as soon as a decision on the matter is made by the Executive.
