The top Spanish men’s professional tennis players will play in a team event this month on their home turf, but Rafael Nadal won’t be joining them.
The event is sponsored by Universal Tennis and the Royal Spanish Tennis Federation (RFET).
Dates are as follows:
The tournament will be organized based on a Laver Cup format with two teams of four players, featuring four matches per day (three singles, one doubles) for a total of twelve matches per weekend. All events will comply with strict health and safety guidelines as set by local municipalities, the event said. The matches will be broadcast internationally in the U.S., Switzerland, Germany and Austria via Tennis Channel.
“It has been a great challenge for the RFET to organize the Liga MAPFRE de Tenis,” said Miguel Díaz Román, President of the RFET. “Spain is a leading country in our sport, we are the current Davis Cup champions and also qualified for the Fed Cup Finals. We are committed to helping our players stay active during this break time on the tour, but the COVID-19 pandemic has not passed and we are taking all the necessary measures to ensure players and fans in a safe environment.”
Several other recent tennis events have made headlines worldwide.
Novak Djokovic’s Adria Tour was forced to shut down after events in Serbia and Crotia resulted in multiple players testing positive for COVID-19, including Djokovic (and his wife Jelena), Grigor Dimitrov, Viktor Troicki and Borna Coric. Djokovic has since tested negative.
This past weekend, a team event featuring the top eight American men was held in Georgia, but Frances Tiafoe was forced to withdraw Friday night after testing positive. He had been training in Florida before arriving at the event.
“We are excited to work with the Royal Spanish Tennis Federation and Liga MAPFRE de Tenis to bring the UTR Pro Tennis Series to Spain and provide a safe, innovative way for professionals to compete within their home country and have their results count on a global scale,” said Mark Leschly, Universal Tennis Chairman and CEO. “Every tennis player in the world, from recreational and league players to pros, can use Universal Tennis to measure their competitive ability. Many tennis players already have a UTR and can view their rating and find local events on MyUTR.com for free.”
As for Nadal, he is committed to playing the Madrid Open, which begins Sept. 12, the day after the U.S. Open men’s final, raising speculation that the defending champ may skip New York to focus on the French Open beginning Sept. 27.
I’m a Basketball and Tennis insider who contributes to The New York Times, NJ Advance Media and newspapers nationwide. I am also the author of two books and an
I’m a Basketball and Tennis insider who contributes to The New York Times, NJ Advance Media and newspapers nationwide. I am also the author of two books and an award-winning filmmaker. My family lives in Manhattan with our dog.