World's top tennis stars to compete in Rome.

The 2024 Internazionali BNL d'Italia tennis tournament, also known as the Rome Masters or the Italian Open, will be held at the Foro Italico from 6-19 May.

The 81st edition of the prestigious sporting event, which combines men and women's tournaments with more than 300 matches, was presented at the Colosseum on Tuesday.

Organisers are expecting a record 350,000 tennis fans to attend the tournament which is played on a red clay surface across 14 courts: eight for singles and doubles matches, and the other six for practice sessions.

We brought the two biggest Roman icons together

Should we organise a match at the Colosseum next? #IBI24 pic.twitter.com/8j1LstN3R1

— Internazionali BNL d'Italia (@InteBNLdItalia) April 23, 2024

The big draw this year will be World Number 2 Jannik Sinner, the highest-ranked Italian tennis player in history, along with Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz, Daniil Medvedev, 10-time Rome champion Rafael Nadal and local star Matteo Berrettini.

Top names in the women's competition include world number one Iga Świątek (who won in Rome in 2021 and 2022), reigning champion Kazakh Elena Rybakina, Aryna Sabalenka, Coco Gauff, Ons Jabeur, Danielle Collins, Naomi Osaka and Jasmine Paolini.

#Roma torna capitale del #tennis: in arrivo l'81ma edizione degli @InteBNLdItalia. Dal 6 al 19/5 al #ForoItalico oltre 300 match di altissimo livello.

Le coppe dei vincitori esposte in Campidoglio fino al 25/04. Accesso libero

Info qui https://t.co/U3BKKXcIOz#IBI24 pic.twitter.com/bYs80eb8fl

— Roma (@Roma) April 24, 2024

The Italian Open was hosted in Milan from its inception in 1930 before being moved to its present venue in Rome in 1934, and becoming an open event in 1969.

For ticket information and programme details see Internazionali BNL d'Italia website.

Photo credit: Victor Velter / Shutterstock.com.