The Barcelona Open is also known as the Trofeo Conde de Godo or the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell due to sponsorship reasons. The Trofeo Conde de Godo has a history stretching back to 1953, when the competition first took place.
As a result, it is the oldest professional tennis tournament in Spain and has a strong reputation in the sport. Originally, the Barcelona Open was a men’s and women’s event. However, the competition became a men’s-only competition in 1980.
Each season, the Barcelona Open attracts many locals and celebrities as a popular social event. But the top players often participate in the event, too, due to its close proximity in the ATP calendar to the clay court major - the Roland Garros.
Since launching in 1953, the Barcelona Open has hosted a singles draw and a doubles event across one week at the Real Club de Tenis Barcelona. Today, 48 competitors face off in the singles competition, while 16 pairs compete in the doubles.
One player has commanded the clay courts in Barcelona in recent years. The ‘King of Clay’, Rafael Nadal, won the competition 11 times between 2005 and 2018. Nadal holds the record for most singles titles at Real Club de Tenis Barcelona with 12 in total.
In the doubles, American duo Bob and Mike Bryan won at Barcelona on three occasions in recent years. However, the Bryan brothers share the most Barcelona Open doubles titles with Australian team Roy Emerson and Neale Fraser, who also won the tournament three times.
