MADRID: In five years time the Madrid Open could become extinct amid ongoing discussions about the future of the tournament beyond 2021.
The combined event has been held annually at the Caja Magica since 2009. It is owned by Romanian businessman Ion Tiriac, who once experiancemented with the concept of using blue clay courts. Madrid is a key tournament in both the ATP and WTA calendars. Currently classed as a Masters 1000 for the men and as a Premier Mandatory event for the women.
“For me the ideal (situation) would be to continue here another 20 years, but if you can not and the tournament is not necessary for Madrid, we can not be there,” Spanish newspaper Marca quoted Tiriac as saying.
As is currently stands there are no agreement in place with the local council concerning the future of the event. This is despite the economic benefits it has had on the city. Last year, more than 260,000 people attended the tournament. During that same year it also generated 130,562,662 euros in advertising value, a 27.83% rise compared to 2016.
“I do not understand that there are people who do not want it here, when the tournament earns money for the city and for Spain, the city does not lose money, it earns money, apart from the publicity it generates,” Tiriac told Press agency DPA.
“But I’m not the one who must understand it, it must be understood by the people (local government) who take care of it. I must ensure that the tournament continues, either here or elsewhere.” He added.
Nadal responds
The prospect of Spain losing its principle tennis tournament is one that many fear. It is not the first time that doubts has been raised about its future. Hope could rest on the shoulders of Rafael Nadal, who is regarded as a superstar in his home country. One study conducted by professor Francesc Pujol from the University of Navarra found Nadal to be the most popular athlete in the 2016 Spanish Olympic team at the Rio Games. The study measured athlete’s popularity on the internet and their social media accounts.
Whilst few can dispute Nadal’s potential power and influence on the current situation, he is refusing to get caught up in the politics. A potential blow to those hoping to keep the event in the Spanish capital.
“I think the town hall will have to make that decision. It’s not ours to make. It will be the town hall who will decide if they want to continue to bet for a tournament of this size or if they prefer to invest in something else, or if they don’t prefer to bet on a sport like this.” He told reporters on Monday.
Nadal, who is a five-time champion of the event, later praised the tournament. Insisting that few other countries around could do the same. Under the tour structure, there are nine Masters 1000 and four Premier Mandatory tournaments per year.
“I think we have a great tournament here in Spain, one of the highest levels, a really high-level tournament.” He said. “It’s true that it’s also one of the sports that there are a lot of people watching us. It’s very difficult to be able to achieve a tournament like this one here because there are a limited number of them.”
Madrid has hosted an international tennis tournament annually since 2002.
