As I write this, the world's top tennis players are in Miami, United States, contesting one of the most important tournaments of the clay season. Miami Open outcomes will determine the Madrid Open seeding and the tournament's order of play. As limited as information about the 2025 edition of Madrid Open is, we still have vital information about this tournament to share.
Madrid Tennis Schedule key points
- Madrid Open schedule: the tournament will take place between April 22 and May 4.
- Men's and Women's championship contests take place on the tournament's last days.
- You can stream matches via ATP and WTA platforms
- Follow ATP and WTA on social media for the latest information
Key Dates and Events Leading Up to the Tournament
Right now, maintenance crews are swarming the Caja Mágica - Madrid's 'Magic Box', the Madrid Open arena. They need to make sure the facility's seats are in good repair, and that the amenities are in top working order.
Lavatories, snack bars, beverage stands, and souvenir shops - all areas where fans gather, must be in optimal condition.
Besides spectator infrastructure, workers are inspecting everything from the centre court's retractable roof to the players' locker rooms. Court specialists are regrading and re-coating playing surfaces. Landscapers are working double-time to keep the grounds visually appealing.
They have, at most, 25 calendar days (from the date of this writing) to make sure everything is ready. Starting 26 days from now:
April 19/20
The first spectators and players arrive.
Tournament officials move back into their offices.
April 21
First qualifying rounds begin
Gates open at 9:30 AM; play starts at 10:00 on show courts and outer courts.
April 22
Second day of qualifying
Gates open at 10:30 AM; play starts at 11:00 on all courts.
April 23
The tournament begins
First Round Singles' matches start at 11:00 AM.
Official Tournament Business
Tournament planning is a year-round affair. Securing tournament funding and prize money for Madrid Open winners began almost immediately after last year's Madrid Open ended. Tournament officials hammered out a tentative schedule of play months ago. Now, they only need to know which tennis players will grace their courts during this event.
Players usually signal their intent to contest the tournament, but anything could derail their plans. A sudden injury or illness, a personal emergency, or failure to qualify can take a player organiser's planned to seed off the roster. Additionally, for aspiring players looking to hone their skills, tennis classes near me can provide valuable coaching.
At best, tournament organisers can plan when the matches will take place.
They cannot seed players, or pencil in any names, until they know who will qualify for entry.
Novak Djokovic would have been seeded, but withdrew before the tournament's start.
First seed Jannik Sinner likewise withdrew, after the quarterfinal matches.
Novak Djokovic would have been seeded, but withdrew before the tournament's start.
First seed Jannik Sinner likewise withdrew, after the quarterfinal matches.
Organisers must be flexible, and prepared to respond to last-minute player drops like these. That suggests they game the tournaments out months in advance. It's the only way they can prepare for every contingency.
Madrid Open Schedule
Gaming out the tournament is one aspect of planning. The more important part is the actual pairing and seeding. Organisers can't know who to pit against whom until the qualifying rounds are finished. But, we're getting ahead of ourselves. We must first assess the qualifying rounds.
Days 1 and 2: Qualifying
As noted in the timeline above, qualifying rounds are strictly daytime events. We don't yet know how many players will need to qualify, nor do we know which top names may bypass that process.
Players lacking enough points for entry into the main draw typically play qualifying rounds.
Once the tournament officials have certified every player's bona fides, they may begin fleshing out the playing roster. It is then that they will seed contenders, across the top and bottom rosters.
Qualifying events are typically not broadcast. However, you might catch highlights from the qualifying rounds online, on your favourite sports channels.
Days 3 and 4: First-round Matches
The tournament's early days are usually the busiest. Every court is active, and all the players strive to win. Looking back at Madrid Open triumphs over the past five years, we find most of the first-round players shut out of the final competition. Still, this tournament may see up to 120 players vying for their place in the Finals.
Despite this being the tournament's busiest period, First Round matches are strictly daytime events. The gates open at 10:30, and play starts at 11:00.
Watching from home, the best you might expect is a highlight reel on your favourite sports platform. Like the qualifiers, these matches typically aren't televised. However, in-person spectators must choose their matches carefully, so they can catch their favourite players in action.
Sessions 5 and 6: Second-round Matches
As the number of players dwindles, so too does the number of courts put into use. Typically, play will move off the outdoor courts, to those under shelter. Those arenas have lights, making it possible to begin evening events. So, these sessions, five days into the tournament, mark the first evening matches.
Daytime sessions: gates open at 10:00; play starts at 11:00
Evening sessions: gates open at 6:00 PM; play starts at 8:00 PM, on the show courts.
At this point in the tournament's timeline, television broadcasters begin to get interested. They might feature a highlights reel on their news broadcasts. Dedicated sports channels might cover the whole round.
Sessions 7 - 12: Third-round Matches
Now, the competition is truly heating up. We're down to one quarter of the players from the tournament's start, and the remaining pros must fight much harder for their wins. To give these matches the attention they deserve, tournament officials dedicate a full three days to these contests.
Daytime sessions: gates open at 10:00; play starts at 11:00
Evening sessions: gates open at 6:00 PM; play starts at 8:00 PM, on the show courts.
By April 28, most of these contests have been decided. So, the schedule is a bit more relaxed. On these days, the gates open at 11:00 AM for the day session, and play begins at noon. The evening session will follow the same schedule as before: gates open at 6:00 PM, with matches starting at 8:00.
Sessions 13 and 14: Fourth-round Matches
We are now very close to the hottest part of the tournament. These sessions' matches will determine who will enter the quarterfinals. The list of active players is much smaller; might it include some of the top Spanish tennis players?
Daytime sessions: gates open at 11:00 AM; play begins at 2:00 PM.
Evening sessions: gates open at 6:00 PM, play starts at 8:00.
Now, press and television crews are swarming the arena's complex. Home viewers are likely to have more than highlight reels to watch; player interviews and man-on-the-street moments fill air time. In-person spectators needn't trek to far-flung courts, all the action is now on the show courts.
Sessions 15 - 21 Deciding the Tournament's Winners
As the players contest their matches, tournament organisers work double- and triple-time to ensure a fair distribution of talent. Nine days into the event, they have their 'finals' template ready to drop names in.
| 📆Date | ⏰Time | 🎾Event(s) |
|---|---|---|
| May 1 2025 | Daytime Gate open: 1:00 PM Play begins: 2:00 PM Evening: Gate open: 6:00 PM Play begins: 8:00 PM | Men's Quarterfinals Women's Semifinals |
| May 2 2025 | Daytime Gate open: 12:30 PM Play begins: 3:30 PM Evening: Gate open: 6:00 PM Play begins: 6:30 PM | Men's Semifinals |
| May 3 2025 | Gate open: 12:30 PM Play begins: 3:30 PM / 6:30 PM | Women's Singles Final / Men's Doubles Final |
| May 4 2025 | Gate open: 12:30 PM Play begins: 3:30 PM / 6:30 PM | Men's Singles Finals / Women's Doubles Finals |
How to Get Tickets to Madrid Open
As keen as you must be to score your pass to Madrid Open excitement, it must be frustrating to have to wait until April 21 to buy them. On that day, the Mutual Madrid website tickets tab goes live.
You may purchase your tickets online, 'round the clock, until admissions are sold out. Besides this convenient booking method, you have two more options:
Ticket sellers like StubHub, Global Tickets and others.
Purchase daily admissions tickets from a Caja Mágica ticket booth.
You may buy tickets to individual sessions - perhaps, the ones that feature your favourite players. Or, you might invest in a VIP package, which includes extra perks, such as food vouchers and preferred seating.
Purchase these tickets by request, via email, from the Madrid Open sales department (entradas@madrid-open.com). Just mind the date: don't request tickets before they go on sale to the public!
Where to Follow Madrid Open
Like any progressive business with strong consumer outreach initiatives, Mutua Madrid maintains a broad social media presence. You can find this tournament on all the popular platforms. You may also catch tournament updates, highlight videos, and interviews on their website.
Taking a broader approach, you can follow both ATP and WTA social media platforms. Each association has a website you can bookmark, where you can stream select matches, event highlights, and player interviews.
Finally, you can follow your favourite tennis stars on social media. You might even catch them sharing personal thoughts and feelings about the tournament, and their time in Madrid. Over the Madrid Open's 23-year history, never have its players been more accessible, thanks to those digital platforms.
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