Madrid Open to span over two weeks in 2021

Madrid Open (Alberto Carrasco Casado, Wikimedia Commons)

According to James Walker-Roberts of Eurosport on Thursday, the Madrid Open will be a two-week event in 2021 rather than a one-week event. The event did not take place in 2020 due to coronavirus.

The 2021 Madrid Open is scheduled to take place from April 26 to May 9. It will be one of the more important tune-up tournaments on clay leading up to the French Open.

The Madrid Open was initially on hard courts starting in 2002. Then in 2009, it made the transition to clay and also became a WTA Premier Mandatory Event. In men’s tennis, the Madrid Open has been part of the ATP Masters 1000 Series over the last 18 years.

Interestingly, the Madrid Open does not have the history as the Barcelona Open, but has passed the Barcelona Open when it comes to prestige. The Barcelona Open has been around since 1953, but is currently only part of the ATP Tour 500 Series.

In 2012, the Madrid Open took place on blue clay. There was a change in colour because there was a belief the tennis ball could be seen better on blue clay than red clay. However, the dyeing of the clay that year was criticized by players, who believed the court was too slippery. The winners that year were Roger Federer and Serena Williams. Then in 2013, the blue colour was officially stopped for the traditional red.

Rafael Nadal has won the most Madrid Open tennis titles with five. However, he has not dominated the event over the last decade as he has other clay court events. Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic has won the most Madrid Open titles in women’s tennis, as she has won three championships to date.

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