With tennis viewership declining, the sport has adopted several changes over the past few years. Take the example of the Davis Cup, which saw a massive reform to make the format more exciting for the fans. Additionally, the US Open recently announced a change in the format of mixed doubles at this year’s edition, which will see more singles stars participating in the event. Subsequently, another interesting report dropped by, and if executed, would see a massive reform in the clay-court season.

According to the Italian daily La Stampa, the Italian Tennis Federation is readying a takeover of the Madrid Open with a big $550 Million offer. They want to ‘buy out’ the ATP Masters 1000 tournament in Spain so that the Rome Masters could run for two weeks and create a ‘fifth major’ tournament of the calendar year.

The report said, “The Italian Tennis and Padel Federation (FITP) has tabled an offer in the region of $550M to IMG, the current owners of the Madrid Open. Their aim is allegedly to acquire that week of the Tour calendar so they can expand the length of the Rome Masters to two full weeks, which are currently only awarded to Grand Slams. The FITP is said to have a ‘dream’ of hosting a fifth major which is very ambitious and unlikely.”

This year, the Madrid Open is scheduled from 23 April to 4 May and will be followed by the Italian Open, which takes place from 7-18 May. As a result, if the Italian Tennis Federation buys out the Madrid Open, it will get an entire window of more than two weeks to run its tournament. However, such a move is set to face resistance from Spain, as the Madrid Open is the country’s most high-profile tournament. IMG is the current owner of the Madrid Open, having bought the tournament back in 2022 for a sum of $375 Million.

While the Italian Tennis Federation is in the fray to buy out the Madrid Open, there were also talks about Saudi Arabia’s involvement in the purchase of the Madrid Open. Last year, ATP chairman, Andrea Gaudenzi, opened up on this matter.

ATP chairman on Saudi’s involvement: ‘You have to preserve something which is almost sacred’

Last season, there were reports about Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund taking over the ATP Tour and its tournaments. Interestingly, the company even runs the ATP Next Gen Finals in Jeddah and the WTA Finals. However, Gaudenzi advised the outside investors to be patient and work in collaboration with the current stakeholders to protect the sport.

He said, “You have to preserve something which is almost sacred, the rules of the game. This is not a video game, this is not a movie. There are many ways to become an investor in the ecosystem. It’s not only about creating a new tour or buying a tournament. If you’re a golf fan, you want to see the top players playing against each other. You want one ranking and you want one simple story.”

The takeover of the Madrid Open would be easier said than done. The move could potentially face stiff resistance from the Spanish federation, its fans, and players like Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz. Do you think that the Madrid Open and the Italian Open should be combined into one single tournament? Let us know your views in the comments below.