Barcelona Open 2024 Preview: When is it, who is playing and what is the prize money?
The clay court season continues next week with the 71st edition of the prestigious Barcelona Open, which is set to feature the return of a certain 22-time Grand Slam champion.
And we, at Tennishead, have everything you need to know ahead of the ATP 500 tournament:
When is the Barcelona Open 2024?
The Barcelona Open main draw will kick-off on Monday 15th April, concluding on Sunday 21st April with both the singles and doubles finals.
Play from Monday to Saturday will begin at 11am local time (10am BST), with the singles final on Sunday starting at the later time of 4pm in Barcelona (3pm BST).
The qualifying draw will be conducted over the coming weekend (Saturday 13th and Sunday 14th April).
Where is the Barcelona Open held?
The Barcelona Open is once again held at the Real Club de Tenis Barcelona, the oldest tennis club in Spain (opened in 1899), and has done so since its inaugural edition in 1953.
There are a total of 18 clay courts on this complex, headlined by the Pista Rafael Nadal that was renamed after the tournament’s most successful player in 2017.
Pista Rafael Nadal can hold a total of 8,400 spectators, and is supported by Pista Andres Gimeno that seats a maximum of 2,000 people.
Simplement, màgic ✨ @atptour | @ATPTour_ES | #BCNOpenBS pic.twitter.com/Qt5y07AY3O
— Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell (@bcnopenbs) April 8, 2024
Who is playing at the Barcelona Open 2024?
Carlos Alcaraz was set to return to the Barcelona Open as the top seed and two-time defending champion, but has elected to withdraw after not recovering in time from the same right arm injury that forced him to withdraw from the Monte Carlo Masters.
???????? @carlosalcaraz will be unable to defend his title at the @bcnopenbs after he was forced to withdraw from the ATP 500 due to a right arm injury.
Get well soon, Carlitos!
— ATP Tour (@atptour) April 14, 2024
However, record 12-time champion Rafael Nadal, is still featuring in the draw and is hoping to play his first tournament since January next week.
The ‘king of clay’ has suffered many setbacks over the past year-and-a-half, but appears to be gearing up to play what could potentially be the final Barcelona Open of his career.
Un día más en la oficina ⚒️@RafaelNadal, recuperando sensaciones en Barcelona.@rctb1899 | #BCNOpenBS pic.twitter.com/lflI0rs4vH
— Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell (@bcnopenbs) April 11, 2024
With Alcaraz withdrawing, it has left Andrey Rublev as the top ranked player remaining, with the Russian looking for some improved results after winning only one of his past five matches.
Other top seeds in Barcelona are Monte Carlo Masters finalists Casper Ruud and Stefanos Tsitsipas, as well as Alex de Minaur, Ugo Humbert and Karen Khachanov.
Wildcards for the ATP 500 tournament have been awarded to Spanish veterans Roberto Bautista Agut and Albert Ramos-Vinolas, as well as younger home talent in Daniel Rincon and Martin Landaluce.
READ MORE: Rafael Nadal reveals ‘desire to try to play’ in Barcelona next week
How many ranking points are on offer at the Barcelona Open 2024?
Not only is the Barcelona Open a great place to help prepare for Roland Garros, but there are also important ranking points on offer for both singles and doubles players:
| Event | W | F | SF | QF | R16 | R32 | R48 | Q | Q2 | Q1 |
| Singles | 500 | 330 | 200 | 100 | 50 | 25 | 0 | 16 | 8 | 0 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Doubles | 300 | 180 | 90 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — |
What is the prize money for the Barcelona Open 2024?
The total prize money on offer in Barcelona is €2,782,960, and here is how that is broken down through the rounds:
| Event | W | F | SF | QF | R16 | R32 | R48 |
| Singles | €488,390 | €260,475 | €135,125 | €70,550 | €37,175 | €20,350 | €10,855 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Doubles* | €170,940 | €91,170 | €46,130 | €23,060 | €11,940 | — | — |
*Per team
Previous winners of the Barcelona Open
The aforementioned Rafael Nadal has dominated the tournament in Barcelona through the years, winning it an incredible 12 times and in five consecutive years between 2005 and 2009.
However, in recent years his younger compatriot Carlos Alcaraz has taken the reign and beat Stefanos Tsitsipas to win the title for a second time last year.
Here are all of the past 10 singles and doubles champions in Barcelona:
| Year | Singles Champion | Doubles Champions | |
| 2014 | Kei Nishikori | Jesse Huta Galung & Stephane Robert | |
| 2015 | Kei Nishikori (2) | Marin Draganja & Henri Kontinen | |
| 2016 | Rafael Nadal (9) | Bob Bryan (3) & Mike Bryan (3) | |
| 2017 | Rafael Nadal (10) | Florin Mergea & Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi | |
| 2018 | Rafael Nadal (11) | Feliciano Lopez and Marc López | |
| 2019 | Dominic Thiem | Juan Sebastian Cabal & Robert Farah | |
| 2020 | No tournament due to the Covid-19 pandemic | ||
| 2021 | Rafael Nadal (12) | Juan Sebastian Cabal (2) & Robert Farah (2) | |
| 2022 | Carlos Alcaraz | Kevin Krawietz & Andreas Mies | |
| 2023 | Carlos Alcaraz (2) | Maximo Gonzalez & Andrea Molteni | |
How can you watch the Barcelona Open 2024?
You can watch the Barcelona Open on Sky Sports in the United Kingdom and Ireland, or on Tennis TV worldwide.
For more information on how you can watch the ATP 500 event in your location, visit the official website here.
READ NEXT: Casper Ruud reveals ‘main goal’ for the clay court season
Join >> Receive $700/£600 of tennis gear from the Tennishead CLUB
Social >> Facebook, Twitter & YouTube
Read >> World’s best tennis magazine
Shop >> Lowest price tennis gear from our trusted partner
