Carlos Alcaraz is the second confirmed participant after Rafa Nadal for the prestigious Open Banc Sabadell Trofeo Conde de Godó. The tournament made official this Thursday the participation of the Murcian tennis player, defending champion, in this classic of the annual tennis circuit that will be hosted by the Real Club Tennis Barcelona 1899 from April 13 to 21.
The champion of the last two editions of the tournament will not miss one of the most special events for the RCT Barcelona-1899, the year in which the Barcelona entity turns 125 years old. “I am very happy to play in Barcelona again and fight to win my third title. It is a very special tournament for me, with a lot of history and it is played on courts that I know very well since I was little. Furthermore, having all the love of the people in the stands makes it even more emotional,” Alcaraz declared after the announcement.
“He is a unique player, with a lot of charisma and who also has fun on the court. He has exceptional conditions to be able to dominate the point against any rival and that makes him different from any other player. And we are talking about the youngest tennis player in history to be number one in the world,” praises David Ferrer, sports director of the Open Banc Sabadell Trofeo Conde de Godó.
At 20 years old, he has won this trophy twice. In addition, he has just completed a magical year in 2023, proclaiming himself the best tennis player in the world thanks to titles such as Barcelona, Wimbledon or the Indian Wells 1,000 Masters and the Mutua Madrid. Open.
His first appearance in the Barcelona tournament was in 2019, when he was 15 years old. He agreed thanks to an invitation from the organization and did not go beyond the preliminary phase. Two years later, at 17, he made his debut in the main draw, losing in the first round to Tiafoe.
The following year, in 2022, he became champion by beating Pablo Carreño, his training partner, in the final. A title that he revalidated last year after beating Stéfanos Tsitsipas.
To date, two names have been confirmed for the 71st edition, Alcaraz and Rafa Nadal. The one from Manacor was announced in December, before having returned to the slopes after almost a year injured. At 37 years old, he has played Godó 16 times and has been champion a dozen times. His long-awaited return has not disappointed and he has shown himself to be infallible against his first rivals at the Brisbane ATP, in which today he qualified for the quarterfinals.
