The Italian Open has announced that it will start constructing a roof for its centre court, after several matches were delayed due to rain. The semi-final match between Daniil Medvedev and Stefanos Tsitsipas was interrupted for five hours, pushing back the women’s singles final.
The Italian Open’s president of Sport e Salute, Vito Cozzoli, confirmed during a press conference that the centre court would be covered starting from 2026. He said that the renovation project included a futuristic design that would take two years, but would allow the main showcourt to be used every day. “The Centrale will have its coverage by 2026, when the redevelopment works of the entire Foro Italico Park will be completed,” he stated.
As Holger Rune and Daniil Medvedev’s men’s singles final was delayed by half an hour due to rain, the sunshine returned, and Martina Navratilova received an award in a pre-final presentation. But the rain poured down again, pushing back the final once more.
Daniil Medvedev had already experienced a rain delay with Tsitsipas during their semi-final, where they were rained off for almost three hours before they could finally resume playing with Medvedev emerging as the winner.