Feliciano Lopez: 'I would love to see Mutua Open in Madrid for many years'
Mutua Madrid Open has been the regular stop of the Masters 1000 series since 2002 when the first edition was held on an indoor court, with Andre Agassi as the first champion. In 2009, the event switched from an indoor court to the Caja Magica, becoming one of three Masters 1000 events in clay and finding its place in the calendar in May, standing as one of the last big checkpoints before the second Grand Slam of the season in Paris. Juan Carlos Ferrero, Marat Safin, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, David Nalbandian, Andy Murray, Novak Djokovic and Alexander Zverev have formed one of the strongest winners list in Madrid and the organizers have done everything to keep the event in Madrid after 2021 when the current contract is set to expire.
Feliciano Lopez has been the only player who played at every Madrid Open so far, with the 37-year-old Madrid resident becoming the new Mutua Open tournament director from 2019, replacing Manolo Santana and aiming to keep the legacy of the tournament and secure its place among the most prominent sporting features in Madrid for many more years. The 18th edition of the Madrid Open will take place between 6-12 May next year and that will be the first opportunity for the Spanish capital to host the best players in the world, with the second coming later in November when Caja Magica will host the first edition of Davis Cup finals, with 18 teams fighting for the title.
"I would love to see the Mutua Open here in Madrid for many more years," said Lopez. "Broadcasted in 172 countries, Madrid Open has an impact on economics and tourism and it has already become one of the symbols of the city, with more to come in the upcoming years. I would love to see as many foreign visitors as possible and I will do my best to keep Madrid Open among the most important sporting events in our country."
from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/2PMPhqH
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