Yellow felt ball instead of rolling leather: the home of Real Madrid will become a training ground for tennis stars for a few days in April
Whether it’s the Champions League or La Liga, the Bernabéu is regularly the venue for major soccer events. In April 2026, however, a completely different sport will apparently be played at Real Madrid’s stadium for the first time.
According to media reports, the Bernabéu will host numerous tennis stars from April 23 to 30. During this period, the Madrid Open (April 20 to May 3) will take place in the Spanish capital. The stars of the sport will then train on the venerable stage – a first in the history of the tournament.
The stadium is particularly attractive to the tennis stars as a training ground, as it is only around a minute’s drive from their accommodation.
The innovation is made possible by the renovations to the stadium, which will be completed in 2023, and Real’s schedule. One of the main measures of the renovations completed in 2023 will allow the pitch to be stored underground in six sections, while other facilities – such as clay tennis courts – will be built on the stadium’s concrete base.
Champions League: semi-final would have no impact on tennis plans
Real Madrid will not have to rely on its own stadium during this time. In La Liga, the club has a series of three away games to deal with. However, a possible first leg of the Champions League semi-final also falls during the tennis tournament period.
However, if Real were to beat FC Bayern, the Spaniards would replace the record champions as the seeded team and only play the second leg of the next round at home.
Tennis, on the other hand, is not the first sport to displace soccer from the Bernabéu for a short period of time. Real has been pushing ahead with its plan to host more sporting events in the stadium for some time now.
The NFL has already made a guest appearance at the Bernabéu and, according to Marca, the NBA is also said to be interested in a guest appearance.
