The Rio Open is the biggest outdoor clay event in South America belonging to the ATP 500 category and generally running in February.
The event is the only ATP 500 event in South America and the only ATP event in Brazil. It was first played in 2014 when Rafael Nadal headlined the event alongside fellow Spaniard David Ferrer. Since its inception, it's largely been dominated by clay court specialists though no player ever won it twice.
Former champions include players like Rafael Nadal, Dominic Thiem, Christian Garin, Carlos Alcaraz and Cameron Norrie. The event is hosted by the Jockey Club Brasileiro on clay. There was chatter in 2019 that the event is thinking about moving to hard courts.
The former Olympic Games courts were mentioned as a possible hosting venue as the move was motivated by players like Djokovic, Del Potro, Federer and others declining to play on clay. Despite the chatter, no such move has been done yet.
Generally held in the 3rd week of February it sees mostly clay players signing up for the event. The 2023 edition was one by Cameron Norrie.
