With Rafael Nadal losing, Barcelona Open gets less fans than 2018
92,130 people attended the 2019 Barcelona Open edition that took place from 20 to 28 April. On Thursday, Friday and Saturday, all the tickets were sold. The Rafa Nadal Court has a 8,042-seat capacity, while the Manuel Orantes and Court No. 2 can include other 2,500. The biggest audience happened on Saturday when the semifinals took place. 12,521 people were there. Last year more than 101,000 people attended the tournament, which was the record attendance. This year Nadal has not retained the title losing to Dominic Thiem in the semifinals, which had an impact on the number of people coming to the event. The tournament has a €36.1 million impact on the city. The event was broadcasted over 200 countries around the world.
The biggest TV audience was set during the semifinal between Thiem and Nadal, with 914,000 people watching the match on Spanish TV channel TV3. 183,000 people watched the final.
Nadal has played in Barcelona every year since 2005, but in 2010 when, after his triumph in Monte Carlo, he withdrew due to a knee injury. The event usually announces Nadal's appearance for the following year in October or November, which is when the pre-tickets sale starts.
Meanwhile on Sports Ilustrated podcast, the former player Rennae Stubbs made an interesting claim: "Believe it or not, Rafael Nadal is not my favorite to win the French Open. Dominic Thiem is."
The Kitzbuhel Open Tournament Director Alex Antonitsch is not worried about Alexander Zverev's up and down: "He still has time. The fact that he did not fullfil his potential in the Grand Slam yet - in contrary of what he did in the other tournaments - bothers him more. Grand Slams are very different: you have to be ready every two days for two weeks. And you have to be able to go through a bad day."
from Tennis World USA http://bit.ly/2UYtfnn
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