It will be the home of sports, because only football – as lavish as that of Real Madrid – is now too tight at the new Bernabéu. American football, basketball, and now even tennis. During the Madrid Open, scheduled from April 21 to May 3, it is already known that the Real stadium will host several training sessions of the best ATP and WTA tennis players in the world – although it is unclear to what extent they will be open to the public, in a decidedly spectacular venue for the occasion. The novelty is that the plans of those involved may not stop here: “The idea of a real tennis exhibition is still on the table,” declare the organizers of the Madrid Open. “If after this experience Florentino Pérez’s club deems it appropriate to schedule a celebratory big match, one that people can’t wait to see – Nadal against Federer? Alcaraz against Sinner? – for our part, we can’t wait to witness such a match at the Bernabéu. Because the experience on the training court has been positive.”
And the confirmed presence of all the stars at the upcoming tournament will reignite the spotlight on Madrid as a city with great tennis potential. “If all goes well, we will have Alcaraz, Sinner, and Djokovic here. Carlos is in great shape, Jannik is having an exceptional moment and has won all three of the last Masters 1000 titles. Having them with us is a true gift for the city: there are very few tickets left, only for some single days of the second week. People buy them well in advance, it is now a well-established tournament that has been around for many years. We want to ensure that this time it is a success.”
Certainly, a luxury friendly in an iconic stadium like the Bernabéu would represent a real leap in ambition. Just the simple opening to training represents an unprecedented scenario. “The issue of the Bernabéu is interesting,” explains Feliciano López, director of the Madrid Open. “We had a communication plan for this new initiative and wanted to present it in our own way, but it leaked out differently. Some thought there would be more courts, that players would always train there, but that is not the case. It works on a voluntary basis: their routine does not change at all.”
Meanwhile, the Caja Mágica, the historic competition venue at Manzanares Park, “remains the same: people will be able to see the best in the world training and playing at the Tennis Garden. There was a communication misunderstanding, any professional who wants to go to the Bernabéu for experience can do so on their own initiative. But there, the training sessions will be private. Inaccurate news has emerged regarding this. Our Tennis Garden at the Caja Mágica is a very representative element of our tournament: with a regular ticket, you have access to all matches and training in that area. People thought we were eliminating this privilege and that players would go to train in mass at the Bernabéu, but that is not the case.” For now, therefore, an optional, an experimental luxury. But the economic implications of the initiative are clear to everyone. And certainly, Real, in the long term, would have no interest in renting out its stadium for Sinner and others to train behind closed doors.