The Italian Open is making big changes in the coming years with equal prize money coming in the future along with a roof.
This year's Italian Open will be remembered as one of the wettest if not the wettest event in history. The weather didn't cooperate at all and rain delayed play pretty much on most days. Both the singles final and the doubles final were delayed by rain with the WTA one beginning an hour shy of midnight on Saturday.
The vast majority of players weren't particularly happy with it because it was very chaotic with players having to spend a long time waiting and not knowing whether they will play. Some were more understanding than others but the overwhelming sentiment was rather negative.
The organizers weren't particularly popular in the past fortnight with the crowd letting them know it during the WTA Finals trophy ceremony. In general, many were critical of the way the event was led but some changes are coming.
In the post-event press conference, some changes were announced such as the introduction of a roof which will come by 2026. The need for a roof was pretty glaring this year with the event greatly benefitting from an extended format.
If the format was as it was last year, the event might not have finished on time. Some of the matches were even played in rain which is far from ideal. The change comes also after the event promised to award equal prize money in the coming years, something which was welcomed by WTA players albeit many wondered why it comes so late.
The conference also touched upon this year's event being the best in many marks. We saw record attendance, record income and record overall economic impact. It bodes well for the event in the future, especially if they keep making positive changes. This year's edition proved they are needed.
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