Tennis injury prevention

El Doctor Ángel Cotorro, médico personal de Rafa Nadal y y drector de la Clínica Mapfre de Medicina del Tenis nos ha pasado una hoja informativa con consejos fáciles, rápidos y útiles para que los jugadores del Madrid Tennis Open sepan qué deben hacer para prevenir lesiones y jugar de forma segura. Hará calor durante los días del torneo, por lo que una correcta hidratación y nutrición será clave para poder mantener el esfuerzo y disfrutar del tenis. [+]

Welcome to the Madrid Tennis Open Xth Anniversary

Welcome to the Madrid Tennis Open Xth Anniversary. We are thrilled that you have chosen to spend some days with us to play tennis, celebrate our tenth birthday, meet the old good friends and make some new ones that will last another ten years…minimum!

In this sheet you will find the useful information about the tournament, schedules and tips. Obviously we don’t mention some surprises that we have ready for you…

For the specific and detailed tennis rules please read carefully the tournament regulations here. But don’t forget the main one: play, smile and have fun!

The tennis:
All matches will be played on the GreenSet courts of la Ciudad de la Raqueta.

On Thursday you will have the chance to be one of the first to register and take your incredible goodie bag from 17 to 19 but, more important, there will be five free training courts available on a first come basis, also from 17 to 19.

Friday and Saturday: all players that play at 9.00 must be checked in at 8:45 AM. Please be punctual and remember you have 5 minutes to warm up. (Not 10, 15…)

On Sunday we intend to play all the finals and some semis. Play will start at 10.00
Trophies ceremony will be held afterwards, hopefully at 16.30 PM.
Singles matches will be played at the best of 3 sets format with tiebreak at 6-6.
In doubles the third set will be played as a championships tiebreak.
Consolation matches (just singles) are to be played as a 8 games pro-set with a tiebreak at 8-8.

How to get to the venue:
Take bus 178 from Plaza de Castilla (metro lines 1, 9 and 10) The bus departs every 15 minutes (aprox) from platform 43, located in the street level bus station. Get off at bus stop number 3634 Monasterio Huelgas-Monasterio Paular. You will see a building with a Heineken sign with a bar and a terrace right in the corner.

The bus will take around 15 minutes from Plaza de Castilla to this point. Walk less than 5 minutes and now you`ve reached the venue! (More information and pictures on how to get there available on our website and facebook profile)

Physiotherapist:
A professional physiotherapist will be available from friday to sunday for the price of 15 euros. Sign in at the tournament desk to book your massage.

The charity

Roberto Chamizo is the 2011 wheel chair tennis World Champion and Rubén Pérez is the 2012 Spanish wheel chair tennis Champion. And we are having both of them playing an exhibition at the Madrid Tennis Open!

And they are doing it for a good cause. This year the MTO supports the Emilio Sánchez-Vicario Foundation and one of its most important projects: the celebration of the 2013 Wheel Chair Tennis International Open that will be held in Madrid in April.

That`s why on Friday afternoon these two great champions will play an exhibition match for all of us to see and understand what they do and the effort and energy they put on this sport, that has became a passion for them and a way to prove that everything is possible when you never give up.

During the tournament we will sell tickets for a charity raffle and all the money collected will go to the Emilio Sánchez-Vicario Foundation to help with the organization costs of the 2013 wheel chair tournament. A giant ball signed by giagantic Milos Raonic and 2 MTO t-shirts signed by Rafa Nadal and David Ferrer will be the main prices!

The parties!

They are so important for us…and for you. Here is the schedule:

Thursday at 20.00: welcome party at La Nueva Troje, calle Pelayo 26 (Metro stations: Tribunal, Lines 1 and 10, Gran Vía, L1, or even closer Chueca L5)

Friday 2130: tournament dinner at the La Ciudad de la Raqueta terrace.
A bus will be available for all participants to come back to the city center with two stops: Plaza de Castilla and Cibeles. It will leave the venue at 00.30

Saturday 23.30: official tournament party at Boite (Calle Tetuán 27, close to Plaza del Carmen) Metro Stations: Sol (L1, L2, L3) or Gran Vía (L1, L5)
Sunday, after the trophies ceremony: closing party at the swimming pool. One free drink and a lot of sun for those who want to extend the party to the afternoon!

Tips

- Renting a car? We have arranged special prices with Sixt. So, if you are a Madrid Tennis Open playeryou are planning to rent a car and doing it from the airport try to do it here: email to Matías Luján at matiasljn@yahoo.com specify you will participate in our tournament and get the offer they have for you.
- White tennis attire is recommended.
- Do not forget your swimming trunks. Remember you have free access to the swimming pool the whole day the whole tournament. It will help you to cool down your body and mind, but don’t take it for too long if you have another match coming up.
- A good sun-screen is a must in your tennis bag.
- Please eat and HYDRATE properly. You will find two articles with lot of useful professional tips and advices in the section “news” of our website. They will also be posted on the tournament`s facebook profile.
- You will also find some stretching tips at the same webpage section
- A raquect-stringing service is available at the venue. The price is 10 euros+the cost of the string you chose.
- There is free wi-fi internet connection at la Ciudad de la Raqueta.
- Also, Madrid public buses network has a free wi-fi system supported by a company called Gowex. Have a look at their website, download their app and start surfing the internet for free! http://buswifi.com/en
- And here you have a link to a map with all the free wi-fi points in Madrid: http://www.madridmemata.es/madrid-wifi/
- A photographer will be around. Don’t worry, no pictures will be made public without your consent in any website.

Madrid Tennis Open X Anniversary

We are celebrating our Xth year on planet Tennis (GLTA tennis but tennis at the end of the day) and we still believe the best is yet to come.

Since 2002 we have seen a lot, experience a lot, play a lot and sweat a lot. And we want to keep on playing, sweating and havinf fun. To celebrate our 10th birthday we are preparing a 10 out of 10 tournament in a 10 out of 10 venue, 10 out of ten tennis and 10 out of 10 parties!. Last year we had some much fun but this year we will be 10 times better.

Around late april-early may we will open the registration so that you can play in Madrid and party with us. Because yes, we are getting old, but we are not even teenagers! (Tha´s why we are also on facebook!)

Welcome to the Madrid Tennis Open 2011

The waiting is over...almost. In just few hours the sun, the water the balls and the green set courts will get full of players. And that`s equal to say that they will get full of life. 85 players and visitors will come to Madrid to celebrate tennis and friendship. A little group of friends, not as much as 85, but just four, Ángel, Mario, Jesús and Luis have been working the whole year to keep this sport dream alive. We have not been alone. That`s why we want to say a big "thank you" to the people to have supported us and will support us through the good and the not so good times.

(leer mas)

Some tips for Madrid Tennis Open 2011

- How to get there: the easiest way to reach the venue by public transport is reaching Plaza Castilla first. There are a lot of buses that goes there and 3 metro lines (L1, L9, L10). If you go by metro, follow the green signs where you will read "Terminal de superficie". Once you are in the outdoors terminal go to platform 43 and get bus number 178. Ask the bus driver for the Ciudad de la Raqueta nearest stop.
It will take you a 15 minutes ride to reach that stop. You will see a "Heineken España" sign and a bar on the corner called "London bar". Just turn right on that corner and you will see the venue. Another 5 minutes walk and you are there, ready to play.

- Important: there will be a tournament shuttle after friday´s dinner. The bus will leave the venue from the venue to the city at midnight (aprox)

- The weather is not being too bad this year, but the maximum temperatures will round the 33-35 degrees. That means you have to hydrate yourself steadily.

- Bring your protection and creams with you. And also your swimming trunks. The swimming pool is just there to be used and your body will thank to be sunk there and cool down a little.

- In this section you will find tips on how to drink and eat during a tournament and how to strech properly. Read them again.

- Please, be puntual at the star of each day and for everymatch. Is the players obligation to reach the desk not the desk obligation to reach the players.

- Warming up can no exceed 5 minutes.

- An air conditioned restaurant with good menus at reasonable prices is available at the venue.

Do you wanna play with me?

We have booked the best courts, have the best facilities in town, the brightest sun, the most refreshing pool, the most incredible terrace to have something at the open air and the hottest and funkiest night life. We want you to feel the experiencie of playing in the same green set courts where the professionals play in our new venue La ciudad de la Raqueta. And, of course, we want you to have the best party of the summer, all here, in Madrid, with us.
From the 29th to the 31st of july we want to share all of these with you. We have worked hard to get the best enviroment and we want you to be a part of it. . Come to the Madrid Tennis Open 2011. Play with us. (read more)

Welcome to Madrid and to the website of Madrid Tennis Open 2010

As you can see we have worked hard both to update the web page of the tournament and to create a new tool where you will find all the useful information, such as draws, matches, schedules, maps and even the weather forecast.But there is more than that. Thanks to the support of Internetria, a professional team among the Spanish and European elite in the creation of web pages and social networks, we have made a real quality leap at launching a web page that is among the best web pages in our tennis circuit, including contents updated daily, interviews, nutrition and physiotherapy advice and a strong commitment to social networks. The indisputable actors of the tournament and of this web page are the tennis and each and everyone of the 150 participants this year. (read more)

The Advisers' Top Ten Recommendations for Enjoying Madrid

When we have been to a tournament outside our town, we have always wondered the same thing: In what bar is it best to have the first drink? Where can I continue the party? And if Saturday I do not have to play a match, what museum or art exhibition can I visit? No doubt so much activity can mean that Sunday we are late risers, which is the perfect ocasion for a good brunch or for a post-tournament cocktail. And clearly the best people to answer these questions are the people of the town hosting the tournament. This is why we have gathered a real top-ten of Madpoint guys (and some husbands too, but we will keep that secret) to hear their ten not-to-miss suggestions for enjoying Madrid, day and night. Enjoy! (read more)

Five better places in Madrid

Miguel Martorell is one of those History teachers you would describe as being “artistic”.

For this reason we have asked him to tell us five places in Madrid that a visitor with a minimum interest in culture/life cannot miss.

(read more)

Interview with Omar Hossain, founder of Madrid Tennis Open

What happens with the MTO is the precise opposite of what happens with children. If with children it's always clear who's the mother, and knowing the father (absent a DNA test) depends on good faith and general good will, with the Madrid Tournament, the paternity leaves no doubt: Omar Hossain.

Right until the 2009 edition, he was the director of the Tournament and one of the people thanks to whom our tournament has become a consolidated one.

(read more)

Interview with Mariate Escalada, former copresident of Madpoint

In a club anemic of girls, she has long been the feminine blood of MTO and Madpoint. A hard worker and enormous fighter, her encouragement has been crucial in launching women’s draws, still budding in Madrid.

In this 2010 edition, and for the first time in many years, she will not take part in the tournament, but her hard work to date makes her one of the most authorized voices to talk about MTO.

(read more)

Interview with Jesús Galán, president of Madpoint

My watch hands say it is ten past ten when i finally reach my friend and president of Madpoint Jesús Galán. I have been trying to reach him since nine thirty, and when he finally answers the phone he happens to be in the house of his friend Auxiliadora Fuentecilla, a neighbour in the area of Pan Bendito, a humble neighbourhood in the Southern part of Madrid.

“I have dropped in to see my friend, she is feeling really blue”, he says. Her boyfriend has just dumped her. He is a professional expert in carpet mite cleaning and lives in Parla, even further south than her exgirlfriend, and close to the industrial area where he works. “He has taken the decision precisely now, right when I have obtained my B24 driving license to visit him there”, whines Auxiliadora. To make matters worse, the girl had had to close the premises where she used to sell esparto grass sandals, “all because of the damned crisis and for the unfair competition of synthetic materials”.

(read more)

Groups of the Madrid Tennis Open 2010

In the Open category, men and women will fight it out to be the best. The singles men category is composed of six players. After a Round Robin confrontation, the player with the highest number of wins will be the winner. Who will be able to dethrone José Bosch, the man who sweeps everyone before him in regional and international leagues?

The goal is clear: all against him! A fight only using rackets, passing shots, volleys and serves that you cannot miss… under the sun.

The doubles category will witness the gathering of many friends and players who know each other well… We will see several Spanish players and three players from other countries: Olivier and Johan repeat the experience (as usual) and Lee plays with our Javi.

(read more)

Eat and drink properly during a tournament

- How important is it to eat and drink properly during a tournament? If I eat and drink just enough to cover my needs, will that be sufficient for me to have a good sport performance?
When we play sports we need extra nutrients and fluids to provide our organism with the required energy. Not eating and drinking properly can not only take its tall on our level of game, but also we can risk having an injury, fainting or, in the most severe cases, even death. During a tennis tournament, you have to play many hours with barely any time to recover between games, and thus it is vital to care for our diet.

(read more)

- This year the tournament is full of new features. Which are the most important ones? What can we expect from the tournament?
Above all the change of the venue, which is a result of a personal determination. After years using the tennis courts in the idyllic venue of the Casa de Campo, we felt the need for a quality leap to tennis courts in perfect conditions, and the new venue has been repaired for us. Likewise, there has been a change in the organising committee, although Luis and I we were already part of the former team, which we will always be thankful to for having paved the way so as to continue ahead without problems. This year we will have a free bus for the tournament, catering close to the tennis courts, a swimming pool, professional advising on nutrition during the tournament and also advising on stretching.

(read more)

Madrid Tennis Open 2009 chronicle

2009 was being one of the rainiest years in decades… right up to the beginning of the Madrid Tennis Open . Suddenly, all taps got turned off and the water deluge gave way to a roaring cloak of fire. A rock-cracking heat welcomed the stifled participants from all around the world who in the end would obliviously say goodbye to the Casa de Campo and its tennis courts as the venue for the tournamente with a “They are far too fast!” as the most usual complaint. Time shows no mercy, and actually the change was becoming more and more necessary.

But this was not only the last tournament for these facilities. The team who strived to raise it, Juanda, Omar and Gonzalo, would say goodbye to tournament organisation. Throughout the years, people such as Roberto Cánovas, Chema Burgos, Axier Uzkudun or Mariate Escalada had stepped up after considering that they had spent enough hours on the phone, in front of the computer or going from meeting to meeting. It is for them to enjoy now, and for the rest of us to thank them all for their effort in bringing up a toddler that has now become a strapping your man.

(read more)