If you're trying to figure out the madrid open 2025 dates, you've probably noticed a bit of a mess online. Some sites say April 21. Others swear it's April 23. Honestly, it’s because the tournament has basically turned into a mini-Grand Slam, stretching across two weeks and making the "start date" kind of a moving target depending on who you’re asking.
The 2025 Mutua Madrid Open officially took over the Caja Mágica from April 21 to May 4, 2025.
But wait. If you showed up on the 21st expecting to see Carlos Alcaraz or Aryna Sabalenka, you were probably staring at the qualifying draws. For the casual fan who just wants the heavy hitters, the main draw action didn't actually kick off until Wednesday, April 23. It’s a nuance that trips up travelers every single year.
Why the Madrid Open 2025 Dates Felt So Different
Madrid isn't the one-week sprint it used to be. Like Rome and Shanghai, it’s expanded. This means the schedule is breathing a lot more, but it also means there was a massive curveball this year: a literal blackout.
On April 28, a large-scale power outage hit southern Europe, shutting down the Caja Mágica entirely. Total darkness. Matches were abandoned. This threw the madrid open 2025 dates into a tailspin for about 24 hours. If you had tickets for that Monday, you were basically out of luck until the organizers scrambled to pack the Tuesday schedule.
The Real Day-by-Day Breakdown
Forget the generic calendars. Here is how the fortnight actually flowed:
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- April 21–22: Qualifying rounds. This is where the grinders fight for a spot. Cheap tickets, great tennis, but no "Big Three" energy yet.
- April 23: The Main Draw began. This is the real start for most fans.
- April 29: The Round of 16 for the men and the Quarterfinals for the women. Because of the power outage on the 28th, this day was absolutely packed with stars like Alexander Zverev and Iga Swiatek playing catch-up.
- May 1: ATP Quarterfinals and the WTA Semifinals.
- May 3: The Women’s Singles Final. Aryna Sabalenka took this one home, defeating Coco Gauff in a tight 6–3, 7–6 battle.
- May 4: The Grand Finale. Casper Ruud finally grabbed his maiden Masters 1000 title by taking down Jack Draper 7–5, 3–6, 6–4.
The Caja Mágica Factor
The venue is weird. I mean, it's called the "Magic Box" for a reason. It has three stadiums with retractable roofs, which usually means rain doesn't matter. But as we saw on April 28, roofs don't help when the electricity decides to quit.
If you were planning your trip around specific madrid open 2025 dates, you had to choose between the day sessions (starting around 11:00 AM or 12:00 PM) and the night sessions. The night sessions in Madrid are legendary. They start late—sometimes not before 8:00 PM—and can run well past midnight. It's very "Spanish" in that sense. You don't go to bed; you watch tennis.
What happened to the Doubles?
There was a lot of drama this year regarding the doubles format. The tournament experimented with the draw to favor singles players, which kind of annoyed the doubles specialists.
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The Men’s Doubles final happened on Saturday, May 3, with Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos taking the trophy. The Women's Doubles final was tucked into the final Sunday, May 4, right before the men took the court.
Survival Tips for Future Madrid Opens
- Don't buy Monday/Tuesday tickets for the first week if you only want to see the top 10 players. They usually have byes.
- The Metro is your friend. Take Line 3 to the San Fermín-Orcasur stop. Don't bother with a rental car; Madrid traffic during the Open is a nightmare.
- Prepare for heat AND cold. The Caja Mágica is in a park near the river. It's scorching at 2:00 PM and surprisingly chilly at 11:00 PM.
- Check the "Order of Play" late at night. The schedule for the next day isn't usually released until late the evening before.
Moving Toward 2026
The dust has settled on the madrid open 2025 dates, and Casper Ruud is officially the king of the dirt in Madrid for now. If you're looking ahead, the 2026 tournament is already slated to run from April 20 to May 3, 2026.
Expect more of the same: long days, late nights, and hopefully, no more power outages. Garbiñe Muguruza has also stepped in as a co-director, so the vibe of the tournament might shift a bit more toward the players' perspective.
To get the most out of your next visit, book your tickets for the "middle Friday." It’s historically the best value for seeing the most high-ranking players across multiple courts before the field thins out for the finals. Keep an eye on the official Mutua Madrid Open site around December—that’s usually when the first batch of "early bird" tickets drops.