Next Gen ATP Finals: Dates, Tickets & Venue (Reggio Calabria)

Six days of tennis on the Strait

For six days in December, the strongest young men’s players of the season come to Calabria. The Next Gen ATP Finals run from December 8 to 13, 2026, in Reggio Calabria. That puts the tournament at the toe of the Italian boot, with Sicily across the water.

The event is open to players aged 21 and under. In effect it gives a preview of who will be contesting the big titles a few seasons from now. Earlier champions show the point. Jannik Sinner won in Milan in 2019, and Carlos Alcaraz lifted the trophy there in 2021.

Before Reggio, the tournament spent its first editions in Milan and then moved to Jeddah in Saudi Arabia. Its return to Italy makes it a southern counterpart to the ATP Finals for the senior tour in Turin.

How the week is built

The format is compact, and that is a large part of its appeal. The tournament has traditionally been an eight-player event:

• Group stage: two round-robin groups of four, so every player gets at least three matches
• Semifinals: the top two from each group cross over
• Final: on the last day of the week

The tournament has also served as the ATP’s testing ground. Earlier editions tried short sets to four games, no-ad scoring, a shot clock and fully electronic line calling. Some of these ideas later reached the main tour. Anyone used to standard best-of-three tennis should expect a quicker, more stop-start rhythm, with set points arriving fast.

Finding your seat in Reggio

The ATP is the organiser, and its official tournament site carries the venue, the daily order of play and the ticket links for the Reggio Calabria edition. That site is the single place where session times and seating plans live. Resale listings and social posts are not a reliable stand-in.

Round-robin days usually carry several sessions, so fans who want to see every player often buy a ticket for more than one day. The weekend semifinals and the final on December 13 draw the biggest crowds of the week. Indoor arenas at this tournament have historically come with bag checks at the door.

The Immacolata opening

The opening date is a quirk of the calendar that visitors from abroad tend to miss. December 8 is the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, called the Immacolata. It is a national public holiday in Italy and the traditional start of the Christmas season. Across the country it is the day families put up their trees and nativity scenes.

In practice, day one of the tournament coincides with a long weekend for Italians. Intercity trains and domestic flights into the south carry holiday travellers as well as tennis fans. Some shops and offices close for the day. Bars and restaurants along the seafront tend to stay busy, because a holiday evening out is part of the tradition.

As the week goes on, the city’s Christmas lights and seasonal markets build up. Any evening after a session ends up feeling as much like a festive outing as a sports trip.

Getting to Reggio Calabria

Reggio is easier to reach than its position on the map suggests. Most visitors use one of these routes:

• By air: Reggio Calabria Airport (Tito Minniti) sits just south of the centre and has domestic links. Lamezia Terme Airport has a wider schedule and is roughly a two-hour drive or train ride north.
• By rail: Reggio Calabria Centrale is the end of the line for Frecciarossa and Intercity trains running down the Tyrrhenian coast from Rome and Naples. The ride along the Calabrian coast is long but scenic.
• From Sicily: hydrofoils cross from Messina to Reggio’s port, and car ferries run from Messina to nearby Villa San Giovanni.

The centre is narrow and long, stretched between the hills and the sea. Corso Garibaldi, the main pedestrian street, runs parallel to the waterfront. Most hotels, bars and restaurants sit within walking distance of one or the other.

Between sessions: Bronzes and the Lungomare

A free morning in Reggio has an obvious first stop. The Museo Archeologico Nazionale della Magna Grecia, on Piazza De Nava at the top of Corso Garibaldi, holds the Riace Bronzes. These two full-size Greek warrior statues from the fifth century BC were pulled from the sea off the Calabrian coast in 1972. They stand in a climate-controlled room that visitors enter through a filtering chamber. The museum’s official site lists its seasonal hours.

From the museum it is a short walk down to the Lungomare Falcomatà. This seafront promenade is lined with palms and ficus trees and looks straight across the Strait of Messina to Sicily. On clear days the Sicilian hills, and sometimes Etna, sit on the horizon. Fragments of the ancient Greek walls and Roman baths are set into the promenade along the way.

For half a day further out, Scilla is a short train ride north. It is a fishing village under a castle, and the Chianalea quarter there is built right up against the water.

Coffee, dinner and the evening walk

Reggio runs to a southern Italian clock, and fitting into it makes the week easier.

• Coffee at the bar: in many bars you pay at the till (cassa) first, then hand the receipt to the barista. Locals drink an espresso standing at the counter, which is often cheaper than sitting at a table.
• Breakfast: cornetto and cappuccino is the morning order. Cappuccino after lunch marks you out as a visitor.
• Dinner timing: restaurants rarely fill before 8:30pm, which suits fans coming out of an afternoon session.
• On the bill: a coperto (cover charge) is normal and listed on the menu. Tipping is modest, usually rounding up rather than a percentage.

Order what this coast is known for. Swordfish (pesce spada) comes from the boats around Scilla and Bagnara. ‘Nduja, the soft, spicy spreadable salami, comes from Spilinga up the coast. Reggio’s province also grows most of the world’s bergamot, and you will find it in gelato, granita and pastries.

Locals also take an evening passeggiata, an unhurried walk along Corso Garibaldi or the Lungomare. During tournament week, fans usually fall into the same habit between the last match and dinner.