Carlos Alcaraz will step out onto Pista Rafa Nadal on Sunday hoping to secure a home victory at the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell. Even if Stefanos Tsitsipas denies the 19-year-old defending champion in the final, the event in Catalunya will continue to represent a much-loved entity within Spanish tennis.
“This event is important,” Alcaraz’s countryman Albert Ramos-Vinolas told ATPTour.com this week as the clay-court ATP 500 celebrates its 70th anniversary. “It [used to be] the only one that we had in Spain. After we had Valencia also, and now Madrid, but I think because the tournament is in a club, it’s like Queen’s maybe. It’s a special tournament for everybody, for us and for all the fans that are coming.”
The World No. 58 Ramos-Vinolas is not alone in his view that the setting makes the tournament stand out. The Real Club de Tenis Barcelona-1899, nestled in the leafy neighbourhood of Pedralbes, has played an interweaving role in the journeys of many Spanish stars, past and present.
Former World No. 3 David Ferrer is one such example. He visited the event regularly as a child, reached the final four times as a player (falling to 12-time champion Rafael Nadal on each occasion), and is now the tournament director.
“[The event] is part of history,” Ferrer, who grew up down the coast from Barcelona in Valencia, told ATP Media. “It is a tournament that everyone wants to play here in Barcelona. The city is very important, the [club] is different to other tennis clubs. It is not easy in this era to have an ATP tournament in a tennis club.
“I think all professional players start playing in a tennis club, and you know to play a tournament in a tennis club is nice for all the pro tennis players.”
In the Open Era, the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell has been won by a home favourite 25 times. Like Ferrer, Alex Corretja never got his hands on the trophy, but the former World No. 2 nonetheless cherishes coming back each year to catch up with old friends.
“It’s different and special for us because we grew up here,” Corretja told ATP Media. “When you were a little kid, you came here to watch the professionals. Of course, everybody was dreaming to one day become a champion and be able to play in front of the crowd. I think that’s why when you grow up in a city that has a nice tournament, you always like to do very well there.
“Barcelona is such a great city [and] the Real Club de Tenis Barcelona is something special. It’s a members' club, a very traditional one. Everybody knows you here.”
With the 19-year-old Alcaraz set to lead Spanish hopes on the court for another generation, Ferrer intends to use the 70th anniversary celebrations as a springboard to ensure that the Barcelona tournament continues to inspire young talents and fans of all ages, from the local area and from afar.
“It’s amazing that this year is the 70th anniversary,” said Ferrer. “We are really happy with the people that work in the event, because this year we tried to improve a lot. Everyone has the chance to come here and watch the best players in the world.”
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