The Conde de Godó tennis championships celebrate their 60th anniversary

The new feature of the tournament, which has been held every year since 1953, is the refurbished centre court, which will have more seats.

27.02.2012
This year is the 60th anniversary of the legendary Trofeu Conde de Godó, the tennis tournament held at the Reial Club de Tennis Barcelona - 1899 which, this year, will be officially known as the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell. The anniversary celebrations will be central to all the promotional activities for the tournament, which will be held from 23rd to 29th April, and will aim to make this year's competition the best ever.

The Reial Club de Tennis de Barcelona has brought some of its facilities up to date due to the importance of this year's tournament, which will attract some of the world's top players. The main new feature will be the club's centre court, which will have a completely new look for the occasion. Its capacity will be increased by 6% and will provide 8,400 seats. All the seats will be new and bear the initials of the club.

"These changes will also give spectators greater comfort and improve visibility. From now on they won't have any obstacles in their way to prevent them following the matches", says the club president, Albert Agustí. He also points out that other aspects that play an increasingly decisive and essential role for any organiser will also be taken into account, such as safety and accessibility.

The tournament will be played on clay and has been held every year since 1953, the year when Carles Godó Valls, Count Godó, launched it to mark the opening of the new Reial Club de Tennis Barcelona in the uptown neighbourhood of Pedralbes. The club had formerly been located on Carrer Ganduxer. The first trophy was won in 1953 by the American player Vic Seixes who defeated the Argentinian Enrique Morea. Rafa Nadal, the tennis players from Manacor (Mallorca), won the last tournament, beating the Alicante-born player David Ferrer in seven sets, and landing his sixth Barcelona title.