ATP and WTA stars will take part in the Mutua Madrid Open Virtual Pro, pitting the very best tennis players in the world against each other online, live between April 27-30, 2020.

What is the Mutua Madrid Open Virtual Pro?

With all forms of tennis suspended until July 13 at the earliest, the Mutua Madrid Open – one of the biggest clay-court tournaments in the world – has established an online e-sports tournament that will take place at the end of April and feature some of the best tennis players on tour.

Tournament organisers of the Mutua Madrid Open – a Masters 1000 event for the ATP and Premier Mandatory tournament for the WTA – have worked in conjunction with the Tennis World Tour video game and Nacon Gaming Espana to bring fans their fix of professional tennis in virtual form inside the Manolo Santana Stadium as players trade their racquets for controllers.

We have exciting news! This year, the #MMOPEN cannot be played on the scheduled dates, but… it can be played online! The biggest @atptour and @WTA stars will square off from their homes in a unique competition. #PlayAtHome ? pic.twitter.com/kgxDOibi9V

— Feliciano López (@feliciano_lopez) April 6, 2020

The online tournament will take place over four days, feature 16-player draws for both the ATP and WTA and be available to watch online, while the event will also offer prize money of €150,000, which will be donated between tennis players suffering financially and a further €50,000 that will towards global relief efforts in relation to COVD-19.

“Since we announced that the Mutua Madrid Open would not take place on the dates planned, we have been working on ideas for bringing tennis to the fans”, said Feliciano López, the Madrid tournament director.

“The birth of the Mutua Madrid Open Virtual Pro highlights the tournament’s technological, youthful and innovative side, which has been one of its hallmarks since it began in 2009 and it is fitting for the current circumstances. We have organised a tournament for the professional players that is as true to the conventional Mutua Madrid Open as possible, without them having to leave their homes. And its goal is not just to entertain; we want to do our bit during this period, which is so difficult for everyone”.

Mutua Madrid Open Virtual Pro Players: Who is playing the event?

A total of 32 players will make up the field, including Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray, Dominic Thiem, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Bianca Andreescu, Karolina Pliskova, Angelique Kerber, Kiki Bertens, Alexander Zverev, Elina Svitolina, Belinda Bencic and David Ferrer.

“From isolation and with the strength and encouragement we are all giving each other, I’m happy to play in Madrid’s virtual tournament and, as always, I will be trying to give my all,” Nadal said. “I’m not sure how good I’ll be at it, but I hope to be with you all and feel your support as is always the case when I play at home, this time virtually”.

Mutua Madrid Open Virtual Pro Entry list

ATP:

?? Rafael Nadal
?? Andy Murray
?? Dominic Thiem
?? Stefanos Tsitsipas
?? Alexander Zverev
?? Gael Monfils
?? Fabio Fognini
?? Denis Shapovalov
?? Kei Nishikori
?? David Goffin
?? Diego Schwartzman
?? John Isner
?? Karen Khachanov
?? Lucas Pouille
?? Frances Tiafoe
?? David Ferrer

WTA:

?? Karolina Pliskova
?? Bianca Andreescu
?? Elina Svitolina
?? Belinda Bencic
?? Angelique Kerber
?? Madison Keys
?? Kiki Bertens
?? Johanna Konta
?? Donna Vekic
?? Kristina Mladenovic
?? Victoria Azarenka
?? Caroline Wozniacki
?? Carla Suarez Navarro
?? Sorana Cirstea
?? Eugenie Bouchard
?? Fiona Ferro

Mutua Madrid Open Virtual Pro Players Live Stream: How can I watch the Madrid Virtual Pro?

Tournament officials have confirmed the virtual tennis extravaganza will be available to live stream exclusively via the Mutua Madrid Open Facebook page.

The Mutua Madrid Open will provide constant updates on their various social media accounts, while matches will include commentary, post-match analysis, highlights and interviews with winners after each game is completed.

Mutua Madrid Open Virtual Pro Groups, Draw and Schedule

Both ATP and WTA draws will include 16 participants that are divided into four groups.

The winner and runner-up of each group advances into the quarter-finals, and from there, the tournament will be played as a knockout, featuring semi-finals and a final showdown to crown the Mutua Madrid Open Virtual Pro champion.

Furthermore, there will also be a series of benefit matches (courtesy of Webedia) that will pit prominent figures in the gaming world against professional tennis stars to help raise funds for those affected by COVID-19.

“We’re delighted to be working together with the Mutua Madrid Open on an innovative and pioneering project in the world of tennis, the Mutua Madrid Open Virtual Pro”, said Antony Dumas, CEO of Webedia. “We can take that which cannot happen on the real courts to the virtual courts. At Webedia we are working hard to translate the expertise we have in the digital world to the world of conventional sport and we are sure that the tournament will be a success”.

Group stage matches will start from April 27, with finals scheduled for April 30.

ATP

Group 1: Rafael Nadal, Benoit Paire, Denis Shapovalov, Andy Murray
Group 2: Dominic Thiem, Diego Schwartzman, John Isner, David Ferrer
Group 3: Stefanos Tsitsipas, Fabio Fognini, Kei Nishikori, Frances Tiafoe
Group 4: Alexander Zverev, David Goffin, Karen Khachanov, Lucas Pouille

WTA

Group 1: Karolina Pliskova, Belinda Bencic, Fiona Ferro, Carla Suarez Navarro
Group 2: Elena Svitolina, Johanna Konta, Victoria Azarenka, Sorana Cirstea
Group 3: Bianca Andreescu, Madison Keys, Kristina Mladenovic, Caroline Wozniacki
Group 4: Kiki Bertens, Angelique Kerber, Donna Vekic, Eugenie Bouchard

Mutua Madrid Open Virtual Pro Order of Play: Thursday April 30

Final day. Semi-finals from 3.00pm local time (2.00pm BST). Finals to follow.

ATP semi-finals

Andy Murray vs Diego Schwartzman
Stefanos Tsitsipas vs David Goffi

WTA semi-finals

Fiona Ferro vs Sorana Cirstea
Caroline Wozniacki vs Kiki Bertens

Final day ?#PlayAtHome ? | #MMOPEN Virtual Pro pic.twitter.com/YjahDEF9vf

— #MMOPEN (@MutuaMadridOpen) April 29, 2020

Mutua Madrid Open Virtual Pro Prize Money

The tournament will have a total prize money pool of €150,000. The ATP and WTA champions will decide how much will be donated to lower-ranked tennis players who are struggling to keep afloat financially as a result of the tours being suspended.

A further €50,000 will be allocated to those hardest hit by the impact of COVID-19.

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It promises to be an entertaining week of virtual tennis from April 27-30 – stay tuned to this page as we keep you updated with all the latest news, player announcements, live streaming information and more!

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