If compared to other clay-court ATP 1000 Masters tournaments, Mutua Madrid Open is fairly new. Started in the early 2000s, the tournament has seen a drastic rise in its stature. In 2009, with the investment from Romanian billionaire, Ion Tiriac, the tournament saw an expansion and moved to a state-of-the-art stadium named Caja Magica.

Caja Magica or Magic Box in Spanish is a unique venue because of its construction. As the name suggests, the arena looks like a stylish box. It was opened in 2009 and its construction cost around $294 million. The owner of the stadium is the City Council of Madrid.

Capacity of Caja Magica

Caja Magica has three stadiums, all with retractable roofs. The main stadium is called Manolo Santana and can have up to 12,500 spectators. The second stadium is called Arantxa Sánchez Vicario stadium and has a capacity of 3,500. The last, Court 3, has a capacity of 2,500 fans.

French architect Dominique Perrault designed the Caja Magica arena. It is completely made out of iron, wood, and glass. Before moving to Caja Magica, Madrid Open was held at Madrid Arena.

Roof of Madrid Open stadium, Caja Magica

As the structure of the stadium is unique, the roof also stands out. In the main stadium, the roof is 103 x 73 meters in size and is moved by hydraulic cylinders. The roof weighs a massive 1800 tonnes.

The opening and closing mechanism of the roof is different from that of various other retractable roofs in other stadiums. To open or close the roof, the hydraulic cylinders first lift one side of the roof. Then hydraulic motors move the roof with the cylinder to open and close the roof.

In its closed state, the stadium indeed looks like a box with its symmetry and color. Its sharp edges create the box in which Madrid Open is then played.

In its first edition, Caja Magica saw Roger Federer triumphing over Rafael Nadal in the finals. That still remains Federer’s last clay-court victory over Nadal.

Read More: List of Sponsors at the Mutua Madrid Open 2021