Whether at the historic Foro Italico in Rome or in the open spa gardens of Bad Homburg: NUSSLI builds temporary tennis facilities that blend seamlessly into any setting and then disappear again afterward.
A tennis tournament doesn’t just take place on a court. It requires spectator stands, hospitality areas, media zones, player areas, technical infrastructure, and numerous other facilities. And every tournament comes with its own unique spatial requirements. Sometimes existing architecture needs to be supplemented; other times, an entire arena is built on a site that will be restored to its original condition just a few weeks later. Temporary tennis construction therefore requires precision work. The infrastructure must adapt to the location, accommodate various uses, and at the same time meet the requirements of international tournament operations. It is precisely this combination of standardized systems and customized solutions that makes every event a unique challenge.
The Internazionali BNL d'Italia is the fifth-largest tournament in the world after the four Grand Slams and combines the ATP 1000 and WTA 1000 events. The tournament is held at the Foro Italico, a historic complex featuring marble statues and the Stadio Pietrangeli, which opened in 1934. Very little here can be changed at will: About 30 percent of the capacity is permanent, and NUSSLI provides the majority of the additional seating on a temporary basis.
This will create over 6,700 additional seats at Pietrangeli and on other courts. The temporary grandstands must blend seamlessly into the existing architecture, preserving its character. The existing structures will be complemented without overpowering them—a task in which planning, precision, and experience are crucial.
In Bad Homburg, it’s the other way around. The WTA 500 grass-court tournament, held before Wimbledon, takes place in the public spa gardens—a historic and nature reserve where no permanent structures are allowed. The entire facility surrounding Center Court, which seats about 3,500 fans, is therefore rebuilt from scratch each season and then completely dismantled afterward, leaving no trace behind.
Grandstands, boxes, and an LED wall blend into a park setting that, just a few weeks later, will once again belong entirely to pedestrians. The challenge here is not to supplement what already exists, but to create an entire temporary tennis world and then make it disappear again.
The two examples could hardly be more different. In Rome, a historic sports facility is being expanded with temporary structures. In Bad Homburg, an entire tournament infrastructure is being built in a protected park. What both projects have in common is that the temporary structures must be tailored precisely to their respective locations.
Whether it’s an ATP 500, ATP 1000, or a WTA tournament, each category comes with its own requirements. An ATP 1000 tournament requires two additional show courts in addition to the center court, as well as the highest standards for media, hospitality, and player areas. The WTA sets its own standards for court dimensions and infrastructure.
NUSSLI is familiar with these regulations and designs modular structures from the outset to meet specific requirements—from commentator booths and wheelchair platforms to VIP boxes. The grandstand systems, developed in-house, can be configured with centimeter precision and are certified to European and international standards.
What spectators see from their seats is only part of the temporary tennis infrastructure. Behind the scenes, areas are being set up for the media, technical staff, players, umpires, and hospitality. Production areas, access points, and wayfinding must be taken into account, as must sightlines and safety requirements. NUSSLI’s modular system makes it possible to combine these various requirements into a fully functional overall facility. The result is an infrastructure that not only functions around Center Court but also supports the entire tournament operation.
Temporary tennis infrastructure is not designed for a single use. The modular systems can be adapted to different areas, capacities, and requirements and dismantled again after the event. This allows components and systems to be reused at various tournaments. A temporary structure thus becomes a flexible concept that goes beyond individual events. The reusable structures make it possible to equip different venues with tailored solutions while leveraging well-established systems and processes. This flexibility is based on NUSSLI’s experience from numerous international tennis projects:
Year after year, NUSSLI builds the temporary grandstands and event infrastructure for the long-standing clay-court tournament in Barcelona.
Since 2018, NUSSLI has been constructing the temporary event structures for the tournament and enhancing the existing tennis facility with high-quality grandstand and hospitality solutions.
For the ATP Geneva Open, NUSSLI has been constructing a temporary tennis arena for several years that meets the requirements of an international ATP tournament. The infrastructure provides space for spectators, players, and tournament operations, while seamlessly integrating into the local surroundings.
Whether it's a historic sports facility, a protected park, or a modern tournament arena: NUSSLI's projects demonstrate just how varied temporary tennis construction can be. Even with the Swiss Indoors Basel, the Mutua Madrid Open, the ATP 250 Mallorca Championships and the Strasbourg International Tournament This results in solutions tailored to a wide variety of venues and requirements. Combined with other tennis projects in Europe and around the world, this experience enables us to create the perfect temporary tennis environment for every location.
