The Rio Open is Brazil's biggest tennis tournament, played each year in Rio de Janeiro. It takes place on clay courts at the Jockey Club Brasileiro and is sponsored by Claro. Since 2020, it has been the only professional tennis tournament in Brazil and the most important one in South America.
About
The Rio Open started in 2014 and has become one of South America's most important tennis tournaments.Played on outdoor clay courts at the Jockey Club Brasileiro in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, the tournament has now completed its 10th edition in 2024. The tournament is part of the ATP Tour 500 series, featuring 32 players in singles and 16 pairs in doubles.
The 2024 champions are Sebastián Báez, who won the singles title, and the duo of Nicolás Barrientos and Rafael Matos, who claimed the doubles crown.
With 2024 a prize money of over $2 million, it attracts top tennis players from around the world. While the tournament included a women's event from 2014 to 2016, it is now a men's-only competition.
History
Tennis has a long history in Rio de Janeiro. Before the current Rio Open, there was the Rio de Janeiro International, which ran from 1947 to 1967 at the Rio de Janeiro Country Club.This tournament included both men's and women's events on clay courts.
Later, from 1989 to 1990, the city hosted the Rio de Janeiro Open on indoor carpet courts, marking Brazil's first ATP World Series event. The modern Rio Open began in 2014, with Rafael Nadal and David Ferrer as its star attractions.
While it started as both a men's and women's tournament, the women's event ended in 2016.
There was discussion about moving the tournament from clay courts to hard courts at the 2016 Olympic Tennis Centre to attract more top players like Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer, but this change never happened.
Notable Winners
The Rio Open has seen diverse champions since its start in 2014.Rafael Nadal won the first tournament, followed by his fellow Spaniard David Ferrer in 2015. Over the years, the tournament has crowned winners from different countries, including Uruguay's Pablo Cuevas, Austria's Dominic Thiem, and Argentina's Diego Schwartzman.
After a pause in 2021 due to COVID-19, Carlos Alcaraz claimed the 2022 title, Cameron Norrie won in 2023, and Sebastián Báez became the most recent champion in 2024.