forced to live without “caviar” | Relief

“We are completing an unforgettable edition of #MMOpen. Thanks to Rafael Nadal for such a special role in our history.“The last tweet from the official account of the Mutua Madrid Open on the closing night of the 2024 tournament was not dedicated to the champion, but to the man who, a few days ago, said goodbye forever to the Caja Mágica. Although Iga Swiatek and Andrey Rublev won the title, this tournament will be remembered Nadal’s emotional farewell.

The curtain is down This Monday marks the beginning of a new era for Madrid Masters 1000. Nadal will never again compete in the tournament he has won five times and in which he has been a visible face for many years. Although Masters arrived in the Spanish capital in 2003, It was only after the emergence of Nadal that he made the jump to the Caja Mágica. and it turned into a mini Grand Slam.

“It was a great luxury for me to see Rafa. Every round here was like caviar for us.”– he said a few days ago in an interview in Big game Cadena COPE, General Director of the tournament, Gerard Tsobanyan. The French businessman now faces the challenge of maintaining the appeal of the tournament without Nadal’s face.

. Fortunately for him, a couple of years ago the figure of Carlos Alcaraz arrived to take up the baton. And although the Murcian does not yet have the sign of the Balearic Islands, there is no doubt that his presence will be a lifeline for the tournament.

Tsobanyan is not worried about the future of the tournament without the 22-time Grand Slam champion. “The tournament began before Rafa Nadal’s reign. We have proven ourselves as a tournament and the ticket sales prove it. At the end of the year, people buy tickets without asking who will play on the first or second day. People want to see the best in the world, and this is what has been achieved over the years,” Tsobanyan said in an interview. Big game. “People clicked and wanted to come without asking who was playing. This is the maturity that the tournament has acquired.“.

Although ticket sales show that the number of fans is growing, The appearance of the center court and boxes in some games continues to be controversial. Guests in boxes with access to the VIP area often leave their seats empty when the big stars aren’t playing. And with Federer retired, Nadal on track to do the same, and Djokovic playing just once since 2019, the list of who attracts audiences and sponsors is dwindling dangerously.

“Losing Rafa is a very important loss in terms of emotions, money, sponsors and many other things. But it is also true that things are more equal in tennis now, there are very interesting first round matches and it sells very well. I am Rafa’s first fan, but I understand that tennis continues to develop.

“, responds to Relevo Spanish tennis player Sara Sorribes, who won the doubles title on Sunday with Cristina Buxa.”Raf won’t be there, but we will be there. It’s not over yet“Buka spoke about this.

The 2024 tournament had more than 30 sponsors, many of whom had multi-year contracts, and the dissolution of the brands was highly unlikely in the short term. The role of sponsors is fundamental to sustaining the event, with more than €15 million in prizes handed out this year..

New stadium by 2026

Madrid is guaranteed participation in the Masters 1000 tournament until at least 2030, according to an agreement signed in 2021 by the city council and the event organizer. (Madrid Trophy Promotion, owned by Ion Tiriac, later sold the tournament to IMG in 2022). The contract, in addition to stipulating that the city council must pay 66.4 million euros (excluding VAT) during the term of the agreement, includes commitment to expand Caja Magica with a new stadium which must be borne equally by the Administration and the promoter.

The new facility will be located in the lake area and will accommodate 10,000 spectators.which will make it second in capacity after the Manolo Santana track, the largest in the complex.

In May 2022, the municipal public company Madrid Destino, in charge of managing the site, signed a contract with Dominique Perrault, the architect of Caja Mágica, to be responsible for the expansion. This was reported in a press release published by the City Council. The new runway was predicted to be operational in 2025, but this timeline will not be met.

. In February this year, the Madrid City Council explained to Relevo that unforeseen events had occurred with the project. “Due to unforeseen events arising in connection with the new stadium project, it is advised that an amendment to the agreement signed on September 17, 2021 is currently being processed,” the council explained in response to an inquiry. access to public information.

“It is planned that it will be ready by 2026,” Tsobanyan said. at COPE in the last few days. “The center court has 12,500 seats, while the Arantxa Sánchez Vicario, the second most important at the moment, has dropped to 3,500. The difference is very big and there is a need for a second stadium. The city council has recognized this and has already approved it; it is a matter of licenses and organization.“.