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For L’Edicola, the Levante Open represents above all a return: major men’s tennis coming back to Bari. The newspaper covered the presentation of the new Challenger on 17 July, focusing on the relationship between the tournament, the city and the 90th anniversary of Circolo Tennis Bari.
The headline it chose is already a summary: “Bari ritrova il grande tennis”. The Levante Open arrives after four seasons in which the club hosted the international women’s tournament and opens a different phase, this time on the ATP Challenger Tour.
A Challenger 50 looking to build a future
The article underlines that the first edition starts at the Challenger 50 level. It is not, however, presented as an end point. The presentation instead suggests an intention to give the project stability and, in the following years, try to raise the level of the event.
That is an interpretation we share: a first edition should be measured by what it actually manages to build. Organisation, spectator response, quality of the field and the ability to become a recognisable fixture matter more than any slogan.
For readers who want to understand the category better, we have also prepared a guide to the ranking points, prize money and role of an ATP Challenger 50.
Wild cards and young Italians in L’Edicola’s coverage
Another theme highlighted by the newspaper concerns the composition of the draw. During the press conference, Vincenzo Ormas explained that wild cards could be used to create opportunities for young Italian players, placing emerging players alongside more experienced competitors.
Since then, the picture has become more concrete. The initial acceptance list already includes five Italians with direct entry: Gianluca Cadenasso, Lorenzo Giustino, Stefano Napolitano, Enrico Dalla Valle and Francesco Forti.
The updated situation is in our Levante Open entry list, while we have dedicated a separate feature to the five Italians expected in Bari.
The tournament as an event for the city
L’Edicola then looks beyond the court. The presentation also addresses the value of sport for Bari’s appeal and the club’s role as a sporting community rooted in the local area.
The connection with CT Bari’s 90th anniversary is inevitable. The club was founded in 1936 and the Challenger arrives in the anniversary year. That history gives the venue a different weight from a facility selected merely to host a week of competition.
We have separately reconstructed the 90-year history of Circolo Tennis Bari, precisely so that the anniversary is not reduced to a celebratory phrase.
Read the L’Edicola article
The original article, written by Antonio Garofalo, is available here:
L’Edicola – “Bari ritrova il grande tennis: a settembre arriva il Challenger ATP Levante Open”.
It was one of the first Bari press reports dedicated to the tournament and captures well how the Levante Open was received at the time of its presentation: as a return, but also as a challenge that still has to be played out.