The Madrid Open, also called the Mutua Madrid Open, is one of the few ATP and WTA 1000 combined events in the tennis calendar. Although the event has been part of the ATP schedule since 2002, it only became a joint men’s and women’s competition in 2009.
The Madrid Open has been held at La Caja Mágica since the ATP and WTA event merger in 2009. This change was also significant as the competition moved from a hard surface competition to a clay tournament. Before the 2009 changes, the Madrid Open took place at the Madrid Arena.
The ATP and WTA competition has also been an experimental tournament. For instance, it was moved to the spring schedule to fit in with the European clay season leading up to the Roland Garros. Also, La Caja Mágica and event organizers experimented with blue clay courts instead of the traditional red in 2012.
However, several players criticized the change, and the red clay courts were reintroduced in 2013. Some of the best-ever ATP and WTA players have participated in the high-profile, 12-day event in recent years. A main singles draw of 96 entrants takes place alongside a men’s and women’s doubles draw of 32 pairs.
In the ATP competition, certain players have enjoyed consistent success at the Madrid Open. Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray, and Carlos Alcaraz have won the event multiple times. But, the ‘King of Clay’ Rafael Nadal has won the Madrid Open a record five times.
Since the introduction of the WTA 1000 event, several iconic women’s players have lifted the Madrid Open title. Serena Williams, Simona Halep, and Aryna Sabalenka all won twice. However, Czech player Petra Kvitova has won the competition on three occasions.
