When it comes to thinking about Spanish sports, the first thought that springs to mind is soccer. That especially applies in the city of Madrid, which is home to one of the world’s greatest clubs, Real Madrid. However in recent years, many residents of the city have discovered the sport of tennis, not just to play but to watch. Two of the principal reasons for the rising popularity of tennis in Madrid are a number of expatriates who have come to the city over the years who enjoyed playing the sport, and the other being the emergence of Rafael Nadal of Spain becoming among the world’s leading tennis players.
Index
Tennis tournaments in Madrid
It is possible to say that the interest in tennis in Madrid received a major boost way back in 2002 when the city was invited to become a member of the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) international circuit which meant that Madrid would be hosting an annual Masters Series tournament. Held in the late spring, the Madrid circuit tournament welcomes the world’s leading male and female players as well as spectators from all over the world.
Related article: Top Pilates classes in Madrid
Hosting the tournament sparked a major driver in the growth of tennis clubs as well as the construction of courts to play on. One of the largest tennis centers in Madrid, which is close to completion, will be the Manzanares Park, known to locals as the Magic Box. When it does open its doors the Manzanares Park will be one of the leading tennis centres in Europe, capable of housing close to 20,000 spectators at one time. Designed and constructed to host leading tournaments the Manzanares complex will offer the residents of Madrid the chance to play on one of either sixteen outdoor courts, five indoor courts as well as the chance to train on six covered courts.In
In the meantime there is no shortage of other venues to play tennis and meet up with fellow expatriates as well as locals to test your training skills, with Madrid hosting at least five top-class tennis clubs.
Tennis court locations in the city
There are a variety of gyms and courts where you can play tennis for relatively cheap. Many require reservations and cost around 5 euros to book. A great place to start is Citylife Madrid Sports Club, where you can gather with other athletes to play and watch all kinds of sports. Clubs where you can play tennis in Madrid include Club de Tenis Chamartín, which has a mix of 23 indoor and outdoor courts, and Club Internacional de Tenis, where you can make a reservation the morning of for one of their 16 red-clay courts. Finally, for students there are tennis courts available at universities throughout the city such as Paraninfo, or the North Sport Centre, at Universidad Cumpletense Madrid.
Related article: Madrid’s stadiums
In addition to finding places for recreation and leisure, the first stage for anyone settling in Madrid and beginning to enjoy its pleasures will be to find a comfortable place to settle down. For someone new to the city this can be quite a frightening prospect, with so many options available but all of them new. That’s the reason why most new arrivals in Madrid on the lookout for a pleasant and affordable apartment to meet their needs are making their way to the offices of ShMadrid. ShMadrid have become in a relatively short time the place to go when it comes to finding Madrid apartments for rent.
Once the settling-in stage is over then it’s time for the new residents of Madrid to spread their wings and enjoy the many pleasures of the city. Those who know and enjoy tennis will find Madrid a paradise simply because the weather so pleasant most of the year and it’s possible to take to the tennis courts from early in the morning to late at night.
