Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek spent part of their practice week at an unconventional training site in Madrid: the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium. The venue was converted into a clay-court training surface for the ATP and WTA 1000 event, and players were able to use the club’s locker rooms while working there.

Real Madrid players Thibault Courtois, Jude Bellingham and Linda Caicedo joined 22-time major champion Rafael Nadal for on-court rallies with Sinner and Swiatek on Thursday. One memorable moment saw Nadal’s three-year-old son, Rafael Jr., pick up a racquet and hit a few balls as Sinner watched with a grin.

“Spectacular,” Nadal said of the experience. “You can’t ask for much more. Also, when this unique stadium was built it was designed for things like this to happen. Being able to play tennis in this place is something unique, and it will go down in history.

“It’s a venue that left an impression on me, and has a special place in sport.”

The Bernabeu seats 83,000 and completed a major renovation in 2024. The overhaul added a retractable roof and a retractable pitch system that allows the natural grass field to be divided into trays and stored underground in a climate-controlled environment. That infrastructure made the rapid conversion possible: the clay court was installed in less than two days, with work starting immediately after Real Madrid’s 2-1 home win over Deportivo Alaves on Tuesday evening and finishing in time for Thursday’s sessions.

Since reopening, the Bernabeu has hosted events including an official NFL game and stops on Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour. The tournament called the staging at the stadium “an historic step” that reaffirms Madrid’s capacity to host innovative initiatives with global reach. “The presence of a clay court in the Bernabeu not only meets an operational need for players, who will have a new training space fully integrated into the tournament dynamic, but also projects a powerful image of Madrid as a capital capable of reinventing its major sporting venues and connecting them with one another.”

Several players used the facility during the week, but Sinner indicated he plans to return to training at the Caja Magica for the remainder of the event. “No, no, no, no. I want to practice here,” he said after his opening win over Benjamin Bonzi. “But yesterday was a very interesting day. Seeing a court there in the Bernabéu was amazing. It was (my) first time going to the stadium…

“For me, it was nice to get (to know) Courtois and Bellingham in a personal point of view. They are incredibly humble, and at the top of the game for so many years already—two different players, obviously, and different ages.”

Ann Li moved through at the Mutua Madrid Open after Iga Swiatek was unable to complete their match, retiring while trailing in the deciding set. Li led the 2024 champion 7-6 (4), 2-6, 3-0 when the encounter ended.

Swiatek, the world No. 4, sought to regain control after splitting the first two sets but fell behind early in the third when a crosscourt forehand sailed wide and she lost serve. She then requested the trainer and took a seat, burying her head in her hands. A doctor joined the on-court consultation and provided medication before Swiatek resumed play.

After the medical attention, Li consolidated the break to open a 3-0 lead. The Pole stopped down 0-30 on her next service game and then called it down 0-3, 0-30 in their decider. The retirement handed Li a notable victory at a WTA 1000 event.

The result gave Li her first Top 10 win since the 2022 Miami Open, where she defeated Anett Kontaveit. For Swiatek, the withdrawal brings an abrupt halt to her run in Madrid and delays her attempts to end a clay-court title drought that stretches back to the 2024 Roland Garros. She will now wait until the Internazionali BNL d’Italia in Rome to resume that pursuit.

The match was marked by the sequence of medical attention and the brief return to court before the eventual retirement. Li capitalized on the situation and advanced, securing what the tournament notes as her best WTA 1000 result to date.

© 2026 Robert Prange

Elena Rybakina opened her Mutua Madrid Open campaign with a three-set comeback, rallying from a set down to defeat Elena-Gabriela Ruse 4-6, 6-3, 7-5. The victory marked a notable milestone: Rybakina’s 100th career win at the WTA 1000 level.

A two-time Grand Slam champion, Rybakina is also a two-time WTA 1000 titleholder, having won Indian Wells and Rome in 2023. Beyond those titles, she has reached four additional finals at WTA 1000 events: Miami in 2023, Doha and Miami in 2024, and Indian Wells this year. Her best result in Madrid is a semifinal appearance in 2024.

WTA 1000 tournaments rank among the highest on the women’s tour, surpassed for ranking points only by the four Grand Slams and the season-ending WTA Finals. Rybakina’s consistency at this level is striking: she has advanced to the semifinals or better at nine of the 10 WTA 1000 events currently on the calendar, missing only Wuhan. Her record at this tier now stands at 100-40.

Friday’s match underlined Rybakina’s ability to weather pressure and turn matches after slow starts. The three-set win against Ruse kept her on course in Madrid and extended a strong body of work at the tour’s top-tier events.

RYBAKINA’S WIN-LOSS RECORD BY WTA 1000 EVENT: