The Rio Open presented by Claro is the first ATP World Tour 500 event in Brazil’s history and marked the debut of a WTA circuit stage in Rio de Janeiro. It is part of an exclusive group of 13 ATP 500 tournaments, being one of the 22 most important events on the ATP calendar. This makes it the largest annual sports event in the city and one of the only ATP 500 clay court tournaments in the world, alongside Barcelona and Hamburg.
Top athletes from the sport have competed in the tournament. In addition to Spain's Rafael Nadal, the 2014 champion and one of the greatest tennis icons, fellow Spaniards David Ferrer (2015 champion), Carlos Alcaraz (2022 champion) and Tommy Robredo, as well as Italian Fabio Fognini, Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Austrian Dominic Thiem, American John Isner, Norwegian Casper Ruud, Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime, and Japanese Kei Nishikori, have all played in the Rio Open. Among the women, the Italian Sara Errani (2015 champion) and Francesca Schiavone (2016 champion) are also notable competitors.
In addition to the matches and practices taking place on the nine clay courts, one of which is the Guga Kuerten court with a capacity of 6,200 spectators, there is an interactive area, the Leblon Boulevard, with various attractions for the public, including stands, shops, and a gourmet space.
Since 2017, the Rio Open has adopted a new format, becoming an independent ATP 500 event. This decision was part of a strategic evaluation by IMM, the tournament organizer, in partnership with the Instituto Carioca de Tênis, which hosts the largest tennis event in South America, providing even more comfort for both athletes and the public. This change aims to foster the organic development of the event, which will continue its tradition of bringing the best tennis players to compete for the title in Rio de Janeiro.
The fourth edition of the Rio Open presented by Claro was rated as the best so far by the ATP until then. Over seven days, the largest tennis tournament in South America attracted 45,000 people to the Jockey Club Brasileiro in Rio de Janeiro. In addition to the excitement on the courts, the Leblon Boulevard, a 10,000 m² area, offered a wide variety of food, entertainment, and exclusive products. The title was claimed by the young Austrian Dominic Thiem, aged 23. He became the third top 10 player to lift the Rio Open trophy – Nadal (1) in 2014, Ferrer (9) in 2015, and now Thiem (8). In doubles, Pablo Cuevas (URU) and Pablo Carreno Busta (ESP) won the title.
Winners Tournament
Another new feature in the 2017 edition was the creation of the Winners Tournament, which brought together 110 children from five social projects supported by the Rio Open. Six children were rewarded with a week of training, all expenses paid, at the IMG Academy, led by Nick Bollettieri, known as a "wizard" of tennis for discovering and shaping players like American Andre Agassi and Russian Maria Sharapova. They were nominated by the projects they are part of. The children also received tickets to watch Rio Open matches and some of them even joined the ball boy team.
In 2018, the Rio Open ATP 500 saw big names from the circuit, such as Croatian Marin Cilic, reigning champion Dominic Thiem, and Frenchman Gael Monfils. Argentine Diego Schwartzman claimed the biggest title of his career at the Jockey Club Brasileiro courts, defeating Monfils and Nicolas Jarry on his way to the final, where he beat Spain’s Fernando Verdasco. In doubles, Verdasco and his partner David Marrero defeated Nikola Mektic and Alexander Peya to become the current Rio Open champions.
Emotions On and Off the Court
The 2019 edition attracted 50,000 people to the Jockey Club and revealed two great tennis talents: Serbian Laslo Djere, who defeated Thiem in the first round and claimed the trophy, and Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime, just 18 years old, who finished as runner-up and proved why he is one of the biggest hopes in tennis. Off the courts, the attractions were even better, with shows almost every day of the tournament and a special event on the final day, featuring various actions and performances, including the National Anthem sung by singer Iza.
In 2020, the Rio Open was one of the last tournaments held before the pandemic. Dominic Thiem arrived as the big favorite after being the runner-up at the Australian Open, but it was Chilean Cristian Garin who won the singles title. Garin overcame all the weekend rain delays to defeat Italian Gianluca Mager in the final. In doubles, Spaniard Marcel Granollers and Argentine Horacio Zeballos took home the trophy. The closing ceremony featured Fernanda Abreu singing the National Anthem. The event attracted 50,000 people during Rio’s Carnival.
The Alcaraz Phenomenon
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2021 edition was canceled. The tournament made a triumphant return in 2022 with the presence of Carlos Alcaraz and Casper Ruud, who would finish the year among the top three players in the world.
Alcaraz won the title, breaking several records at 18 years old and beginning his meteoric rise to the top of the tennis world. In doubles, Fabio Fognini and Simone Bolelli claimed the championship.
In 2023, Alcaraz returned to defend his title after becoming world number 1 and winning his first Grand Slam at the US Open in 2022. However, the Spaniard was defeated in the final by British Cameron Norrie, who won 2-1 (5/7, 6/4, 7/5) after two hours and 41 minutes of play.
In doubles, the title went to Argentine Maximo Gonzalez and Andres Molteni, who defeated Brazilians Marcelo Melo and Colombia's Juan Sebastian Cabal 2-0, with scores of 6/1 and 7/6 (3) in the final.
First Brazilian Title and Record Audience Mark the 10th Edition of the Rio Open
The 10th edition of the Rio Open presented by Claro in 2024 was historic both on and off the court. The tournament, which brought together major tennis stars at the Jockey Club Brasileiro, set a record attendance with 65,000 people over the nine days.
For the first time, a Brazilian player won the tournament, with Rafael Matos claiming the doubles title alongside Colombian Nicolas Barrientos. In the singles final, two players from the same country faced off for the title. Argentina's Sebastian Baez defeated compatriot Mariano Navone and received the trophy from Gustavo Kuerten and David Ferrer. Additionally, five Brazilian players competed in the main draw, with three of them reaching the quarterfinals – João Fonseca, Thiago Monteiro, and Thiago Wild. For the first time, the event hosted a wheelchair tennis tournament, the Wheelchair Tennis Elite – presented by ALLOS.
