Nitto ATP Finals: Matteo Gambuto - The Making of the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin

The Nitto ATP Finals is one of the biggest events on the tennis calendar, bringing together the top 8 singles players and doubles teams to compete for the coveted year-end title. Behind the scenes, it takes months of preparation and hundreds of people to pull off this world-class tournament in Turin, Italy. I spoke with Matteo Gambuto, the Venue Director for FITP, the organization responsible for setting up and running the ATP Finals. He gave insight into the massive undertaking of transforming Turin's Pala Alpitour arena and building an entire village to host this event each November. "We are delivering all the setup, the venue setup means to transform the daily life of this venue into a venue to host the Nitto ATP Finals every year," Gambuto explained. FITP takes over the 15,000 seat arena 4 weeks before and spends 2 weeks afterward dismantling their builds. The load-in involves 700 construction crew members and suppliers working round the clock. The scope of their responsibilities includes building the 8,000 square meter village outside the stadium for fans, configuring the TV broadcast compound, and providing infrastructure for ATP's technology and media partners. "It's a super complex," Gambuto noted, with stakeholders ranging from sponsors to the city tourism board. For Gambuto personally, preparations consume 9 months of his annual schedule. "This was for the first edition. For the second edition, again was almost 100% of my time I have spent for that event," he remarked. He oversees a core team of 3 in Turin year-round, plus event staff numbering 60. Their attention to detail has paid off, as Gambuto shared proudly: "Everybody really loves the finals here in Torino. And it seems that tennis audience, fans and ATP loves Torino for now." The city has enthusiastically embraced the tournament, with surrounding events like the Fan Village and sponsor activations bringing added energy. The massive undertaking requires intensive planning and coordination, but Gambuto relayed the satisfaction of seeing it come together. "It takes one year, every year, every edition, in order to make happen the event," he said. From empty warehouses to a bustling tennis spectacle in just weeks, Gambuto and his team have built an impressive operation. Their seamless execution allows fans to simply enjoy the world-class tennis.