From the same moment that the 2020 edition of the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell Conde de Godó Trophy was suspended, the organizers knew that the 2021 edition would not be like any other. Even with the pandemic very present and with strong restrictions in force, the Real Club de Tenis de Barcelona worked to guarantee a fundamental aspect of the Tournament: to maintain the competitive level of recent years. And, with David Ferrer at the helm who is making his debut as director, they have succeeded.
The Godó poster will be headed as always by Rafa Nadal, emblem of a tournament that he has won eleven times and that is played at his club. And he will be accompanied, basically, by all his rivals in the quarterfinals of the Monte Carlo Masters 1000. The eight tennis players who have gone the furthest in Monte Carlo will also play for Godó.
And, this fact is not a coincidence. Among those present in Barcelona will not only be several of the best tennis players in the world on clay, but they directly have a more than remarkable representation of the world elite. Nadal, Tsitsipas, Rublev and Schwartzman are in the ATP Top-10, while Shapovalov, Bautista, Goffin, Pablo Carreño, Dimitrov, Fognini, Auger-Aliassime and Cristian Garin are in the top 20. In a luxury poster that also includes Nishikori, two-time champion of the tournament.
But the Godó could not also miss the Spanish representation, which goes beyond Nadal, Bautista and Carreño. Albert Ramos Viñolas, Pablo Andújar, Feliciano López, Jaume Munar and Carlos Alcaraz will also fight to win the trophy, in addition to some other tennis player, such as Carlos Gimeno, who can enter from the previous phase.
With quality on the court, the tournament ensures one of the pillars of its success, while its organizers work tirelessly to ensure that the other is fulfilled: that it be safe. They have established a bubble for the participants, who will not be able to mix with each other, they will sleep in exclusive hotels for them and they will travel in organization vehicles. In addition to tests every 48 hours and a capacity restricted to 1,000 spectators. All means to make it as safe as possible.