The organizers of the annual Madrid Open have announced that the tournament will be played as a two-week event from 2021.
After gaining ATP Masters 1000 status in 2002 and then moving from hardcourt to clay in 2009, the event will undergo another significant transition. It will expand from a one-week event and run for two weeks, from April 27 to May 9 2021.
"We’re happy to have achieved the goal of becoming a two-week tournament”, said tournament director Feliciano Lopez.
"We sought this expansion and it is well-deserved, necessary and will allow us to enjoy the best tennis in the world at the Caja Magica for a few more days. I’m sure that both our sponsors and all the fans will welcome this news with open arms, as well as the city of Madrid, which will receive more visitors for a longer period of time.”
This change will also apply to the WTA, as the Madrid Open joined forces with the WTA in 2009 to make the tournament a WTA Premier Mandatory event.
"The Mutua Madrid Open is held in incredibly high regard across the tennis community." added WTA chairman Steve Simon. "This two-week format will allow the Madrid organizers to showcase this world-class event in the beautiful city of Madrid as truly one of the premier events on the WTA Tour and within the sport of tennis."