The final combined WTA and ATP 1000 event of the clay court swing – the Italian Open – is fast approaching and we’re gearing up for another fortnight of action in the Italian capital.
Find out everything you need to know about the Italian Open from when it starts, to who’s competing and which Brits you need to keep an eye on at the tournament.
When is the Italian Open 2024?
The Italian Open returns once again this year for its 81st edition. The combined WTA and ATP 1000 event will see qualification stages begin on Monday 6 May with main draw action kicking off on Wednesday 8 May.
The women’s singles final will commence on Saturday 18 May, with the men’s singles final wrapping up almost two weeks of world-class tennis entertainment on Sunday 19 May.
Day sessions will begin at 10:00 BST.
Where is the Italian Open taking place?
The tournament will once again be held at one of the country’s biggest sports complexes – the Foro Italiano.
Located in the heart of Rome, the stadium is home to two iconic courts and has the capacity to hold over 10,500 spectators, making it an ideal venue for Italian and international tennis fans.
Who are the reigning Italian Open champions?
When is the Italian Open 2024 draw?
Information on the draw will be available soon. Keep up with the latest draw updates on the link below:
Women’s draw
Men’s draw
Which British tennis players will be competing at the Italian Open 2024?
Singles
Katie Boulter headlines the women’s singles draw and enters as the only Brit in main draw action. The British No.1 is currently embarking on her first clay court swing at the top of the women’s game and has shown recent progress on the surface, despite narrowly losing out to 19-year-old American Robin Montgomery in three sets at the Madrid Open.
Boulter will be looking to string together a deep run in Rome ahead of her maiden main draw appearance at Roland Garros in just a matter of weeks.
Meanwhile on the men’s side, British No.1 Cam Norrie is set to make his way to Italy off the back of a successful few weeks in Spain. Norrie reached the quarter-final of the ATP 500 event in Barcelona before going on to make the third round at the Madrid Open where he lost out to fifth seed Casper Ruud. The Briton is still searching for a first title of 2024 and will be hoping to go the distance in Rome.
British No.2 Jack Draper will be joining Norrie in the main draw, after making a bright start to his clay campaign. The 22-year-old recently made the quarter-final at the BMW Open in Munich where he fell just short against world No.13 Taylor Fritz in a three-set battle before edging Thanasi Kokkinakis in three to reach the second round in Madrid. Having missed last year’s run on the clay due to injury, Draper will be hoping to make a statement in Rome ahead of the French Open at the end of the month.
Dan Evans could also be set to for a return to the court, after a calf injury forced him to miss the ATP 1000 event in Madrid.
Doubles
The doubles draw is yet to see a British tennis player be crowned champion, but could 2024 be the year the tide turns? A number of doubles stars will be in action in Rome, with Joe Salisbury and American partner Rajeev Ram reuniting for the upcoming tournament. The 2021 Italian Open runners-up will be going in pursuit of a second title of the year after they claimed the crown in Adelaide back in January on the hard courts.
Neal Skupski will be joining forces with Austin Krajicek in the upcoming Masters 1000 tournament. The event will mark the first time the Brit and American have partnered each other, and could be set to cause a stir amongst a strong doubles field.
Completing the British contingent will be Jamie Murray and Lloyd Glasspool who are competing alongside Michael Venus and Jean-Julien Rojer respectively in a bid to take home the silverware.
Past British performance at the Italian Open
The Italian Open has been a successful ground for British tennis players of the years, with some taking home the coveted trophy and others coming close. Virginia Wade became the first British female tennis player to win the tournament in the Open Era back in 1971 when she defeated Germany’s Helga Niessen Masthoff 6-4, 6-4. Wade also went on to win the doubles title in 1971, and again in 1973.
In more recent years, former world No.1 Andy Murray claimed the crown in the most decorative year of his career (2016). During the final, Murray downed Novak Djokovic 6-3, 6-3 to his first, and only, Italian Open title of his career.
Former British No.1 Johanna Konta finished runner-up to Karolina Pliskova in 2019, while Salisbury and Ram missed out on the men’s doubles title in 2021 in a closely fought encounter against Croatian duo Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic.
How to watch the Italian Open 2024
You can watch live coverage of all the action at the Rome Masters exclusively on Sky Sports Tennis and Now TV.
