The 2025 edition of the Rome Masters broke records: 393,051 tickets sold, €35.3 million in total revenue. But the most telling number isn’t on the scoreboard or in the stands — it’s in how that money will be used.

According to the Italian Tennis and Padel Federation, the operating surplus is already allocated across three areas: youth programs, infrastructure, and clubs.

Roughly €20 million will go to Racchette in Classe — a national initiative bringing tennis and padel into schools. Another portion will fund zero-interest loans for clubs looking to build new courts or cover existing ones. And for the first time, all federal membership fees for clubs are being eliminated — freeing up cash for reinvestment at the ground level.

It’s a non-obvious way to use tournament success — not for surface upgrades or short-term wins, but to fund something deeper.

Taking from the top to support the base doesn’t always work — in sport or anywhere else — but this case clearly deserves attention.