Unseen scenes! Rafael Jodar – Luciano Darderi, ATP Rome quarterfinals, interrupted due to Cristi Chivu's party
Article by Adrian Jitea – Published on Thursday, 14 May 2026, 01:07 / Updated on Thursday, 14 May 2026 01:33
The match between Rafael Jodar (19 years, 34 ATP) and Luciano Darderi (24 years, 20 ATP), quarter-final of the Rome tournament, was interrupted for 16 minutes due to smoke coming from the Stadion Olimpico. There, Cristi Chivu was celebrating the triumph with Inter in the Italian Cup.
The distance between the central pitch of the Foro Italico complex and the Stadio Olimpico is short, only a few hundred meters. Since Rome is not only the capital of Italy, but also one of sports, it has reached an unprecedented situation.
PHOTO GALLERY Chivu's Inter party messed up the ATP tournament in Rome: Jodar's match, interrupted
Cristi Chivu's side won the Coppa Italia final, 2-0 against Lazio. The torches and fireworks lit at the party produced thick smoke. The wind directed it towards the center court of the complex where the ATP tournament takes place.
At that time, the new sensation of world tennis, Rafael Jodar, was playing. The young Spaniard was leading the Italian Luciani Darderi 6-5. Visibility was impaired. Following the protests of the two players, the chair referee had to stop the match for several minutes.
The quarter-final was resumed after 16 minutes. Darderi pushed the set into a tie-break where he came back fantastically from 2-5 down to take the lead. The winner will face the Norwegian Casper Ruud in the semi-finals.
On the other half of the table, the quarters are scheduled today. World leader Jannik Sinner will face Russian Andrey Rublev (14 ATP). Another Russian, Daniil Medvedev (9 ATP), will test his strength against the Spaniard Martin Landaluce (94 ATP).
VIDEO. How Chivu's Inter celebration looked at the Stadio Olimpico
