Federer had skipped the clay court season the past two years since last competing in Rome in May 2016 but confirmed his participation for the tournament in Madrid earlier this year.
Flooding reached historic levels in Venice leading to rain-soaked tourists being asked to leave the historic St Mark's Square, as large swathes of Italy experienced heavy winds and flooding, leaving at least five people dead. Reports said that three-quarters of Venice was flooded. Take a look.
The Romans have censored themselves to make visiting Iranian President Hassan Rouhani feel more comfortable during his historic stop in Italy.
Indonesian football fans were thrilled to see Italian side AS Roma touch down in Jakarta on Friday as part of their pre-season tour.
Novak Djokovic came from a set down to beat Rafael Nadal for the fourth time in a row and claim his third Italian Open title with an impressive 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 victory in Rome.
