The ATP* tour action is in Rome this week and next, at the ATP Masters 1000 called the Internazionali BNL d’Italia, on the red clay courts of the Foro Italico grounds.
As the players walk onto the court, the speakers play rousing music from Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana. The stadium around center court reminds one a little of the Colosseum. (The Colosseum was built in the years between CE 70 and 72 at the height of the Roman Empire).
*Association of Tennis Professionals
These weeks are the final run-up to the climax of the clay court season: the French Open at Roland Garros in Paris. The Really Big Question on every tennis fan’s mind: Will Rafa (Nadal, 36, 14-time French Open champion) play in Paris? He was to play in Rome but announced beforehand that he decided to withdraw, still hampered by a nagging hip injury.