Two years before the opening of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, Rio de Janeiro takes a huge step in returning to the calendar of major world tennis events. From Saturday 15^th, the city will host the Rio Open, the first ATP 500 series tournament to be held in South America. The event, which takes place at the Brazilian Jockey Club in Gávea until 23 February, includes the participation of five tennis players ranked among the world top 20, including current world number 1 Rafael Nadal. The Spaniard has high expectations about competing in the tournament and getting to know the city:

“It is very important for South American tennis to finally have an ATP 500 here. It's a great achievement for Brazil and I'm eager to play for the first time in Rio de Janeiro. I've heard a lot of good stuff about the city and now I'm finally going to have the opportunity to get to know it. Every time I play somewhere in the world, I get huge affection from Brazilians”, said Nadal.

Currently ranked number five, fellow Spaniard David Ferrer is also enthusiastic to have Rio de Janeiro as a backdrop for the competition:

“We waited too long for a tournament in Rio, the city where everyone wants to be, especially sportspeople. The moment I heard about the plans for the Rio Open, I knew it would get onto my calendar. I'm excited about playing in front of a Brazilian public and in the city that will host the Olympic Games”, said Ferrer.

By hosting the Rio Open and as the Rio 2016 Games draw nearer, the city is taking up a prominent position on the international scene. Worth 500 points in the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) ranking, the ATP 500 series tournaments are the calendar’s third in importance, ahead of the ATP 250 and behind only the Masters 1,000 and Grand Slam competitions (Australia Open, Roland Garros, Wimbledon and US Open).

In order to host the Rio 2016 Games tennis matches, a stadium for around 10,000 fans is being built in Barra da Tijuca. At the end of the event, the Olympic Tennis Centre will be part of one of the Games’ main sport legacies: the Olympic Training Centre (OTC), which will contribute to the development of high-performance athletes and will enable the city to continue hosting important events on the world tennis tour as well as in the world circuits of other sports.

For tennis player Bruno Soares, who represented Brazil in the London 2012 doubles events, hosting high-level competitions in Rio de Janeiro will contribute to the sport’s development in the country.

“Hosting events of this size has many benefits. We'll host tennis greats in Rio de Janeiro and people will have the opportunity to see them up close, to witness the high level of these athletes and to learn more about our sport. It's going to be a very important moment for Brazilian tennis. More than attracting fans that already follow every stage of the world tour each year, hosting the Olympic Games and the ATP 500 represents great opportunities to get closer to people that don’t know tennis well. Rio is now the largest showcase we have”, he says.

According to João Souza, the highest-ranked Brazilian player in the ATP rankings, Brazilian tennis still has a lot of growing to do, and the Rio 2016 Games can play an important role in this evolution.

“By putting the Olympic Centre to good use after the Rio 2016 Games, there is no doubt we will have a breakthrough in the development of Brazilian tennis players. We will have a space with different types of courts to train on, with the infrastructure that all players need in order to evolve, and we have the possibility of having major competitions in a permanent structure, like the Davis Cup and other events. Also, it will be a training venue for Brazilian teams to train together for major competitions. It has all it takes in order to help Brazilian tennis grow”, he said.

The player, known as Feijão (‘Beans’ in Portuguese), is one of two Brazilians invited to enter directly in the singles main draw – the other is Thomaz Bellucci, former world number 21, currently ranked 122.

From the men’s top 20, besides Nadal and Ferrer, Italian Fabio Fognini (14) and Spaniards Tommy Robredo (17) and Nicolás Almagro (18) will also participate in the Rio Open. In addition to Bellucci, Feijão and Bruno Soares, the team formed by Marcelo Melo, currently ranked number 5 in doubles, and André Sá will also represent Brazil. In the women's tournament, the highlight is Teliana Pereira, the first Brazilian tennis player in the women’s professional circuit top 100 after 23 years – currently ranked number 92.