Jannik Sinner is the undisputed star of the tournament in Rome. © ANSA / SERGIO PEREZ

Tennis final causes turmoil in Serie A

The Italian capital, Rome, is in for some exciting days of sport. Not necessarily because of the temperatures, but because several major events are taking place at the same time. Sunday, May 17th, is particularly in focus.

06 May 2026

From: cst

The Internazionali d'Italia, the Coppa Italia final, and the Rome derby in Serie A. Within just a few days, Rome is hosting three mega sporting events. What sounds like a dream for sports fans is causing enormous stress for politicians and sports associations.

The ATP 1000 tournament, with Jannik Sinner as its star attraction, has been generating excitement in Rome for days. The clay-court tournament is one of the most prestigious tennis competitions on the tour, and because Sinner, an Italian, is among the top favorites, the attention has increased significantly. The final at the Foro Italico is scheduled for May 17th at 17 pm.

The only problem is that the Rome derby between Roma and Lazio is scheduled for the same day. This is causing scheduling chaos for the Italian Football Federation. The derby cannot take place at 8:45 pm because it has been considered a high-risk match for years. For public safety reasons, playing in the evening is therefore prohibited. However, playing in the afternoon is also impossible because the tennis final is being held. That leaves only the Serie A slot at 12:30 pm, but the clubs don't want that.

Rome derby at 12:30 PM? Maurizio Sarri disagrees. © ANSA / ETTORE FERRARI

Lazio, in particular, is resisting. Coach Maurizio Sarri's team is playing Inter in the Coppa Italia final the previous Wednesday (also in Rome). The police headquarters reports that emergency services are already extremely busy there. After all, four tennis quarter-final matches are also scheduled for that day. Furthermore, around 110.000 people are expected in the city because of the football final.

Roma – Lazio: Monday as an alternative?

The football association faces another problem. The match between Roma and Lazio has to be played at the same time as those between Juventus and Milan – because it's a Champions League qualifier. Postponing three games to Monday therefore seems impossible. The association says it's particularly incompatible with TV rights.

There is currently no solution to the scheduling chaos. According to Gazzetta dello Sport, the most likely scenario is that the teams will have to accept the Sunday 12:30 PM kickoff time, whether they like it or not.