For Italians, and Romans in particular, the Open is not just a tennis tournament where champions are crowned and a piece of history of the game is written. The "Internazionali", as the Italian Open is commonly referred to over there, is much more than that. It's a society event.

Tennis fans come from all over the country to pack the stands and cheer for their favorite players pretty much with the same passion and intensity they used to celebrate the gladiators at the time of the Roman Empire. But the stands are not just filled with fans.

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Source: http://www.tennisworldusa.org/