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Azarenka, Monfils, Keys and Fognini Join the Madrid Open Virtual Pro Event

April 17, 2020 ,

Former World No. 1 Victoria Azarenka, former US Open finalist Madison Keys, French tennis star Gael Monfils and World No. 11 Fabio Fognini are the latest players to confirm their participation in the Madrid Open Virtual Pro event that will take place at the end of this month.

The four players join a star-studded field that already includes the likes of Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray, David Goffin, Karen Khachanov, John Isner and Lucas Pouile on the men's side and Angelique Kerber, Kristina Mladenovic, Genie Bouchard, Kiki Bertens, Fiona Ferro and Carla Suarez Navarro on the women's side.

With the tennis circuit in shutdown, the Virtual Pro event will replicate the tennis event in a virtual format where the best tennis players in the world will square off from their homes from 27 to 30 April, swapping their rackets for a PlayStation 4 game console.

Gael Monfils, currently the world number nine and a big video game fan, commented, "I have been playing a lot of videogames during the lockdown so I will be glad to meet up my fellow players again during the Tennis World Tour tournament organized by the Mutua Madrid Open. We will be back in competition mode but more importantly we will play for a great cause”.

Victoria Azarenka, a two-time Mutua Madrid Open finalist commented, "I’m excited to play the Mutua Madrid Open Virtual Pro this month and have an opportunity to compete against some of my fellow players virtually! It’s a great opportunity to still find some competition and I hope everyone will enjoy watching us compete”.

The flamboyant Italian Fognini commented, “I’m very curious about this new e-vent. I will try to do my best to win it but I have heard some of my colleagues are very good and are practicing hard. Let’s see who will come up on top! Great idea and initiative from the Madrid organisers”.

Keys, ranked No. 13 in the world, commented, “I’m very excited to be participating the Mutua Madrid Open Virtual Pro game. It’s a great way to bring us players together and get some ‘competition’ in online while staying at home”.

The tournament will include a purse of 150,000 euros for both the men's and the women's draw from which the winners will be able to decide on how much they would like to donate to tennis players currently affected by the tennis shutdown, and 50,000 euros that will all go towards reducing the social impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Fans will be able to follow the tournament online, on television and on the Mutua Madrid Open’s social media.



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