The pact between José Luis Martínez Almeida and Gerard Piqué brought the Davis Cup to the Madrid Arena

The second edition of the Davis Cup under the new format devised by Kosmos Tennis and Gerard Piqué has an unexpected novelty arising from the latest negotiations between the footballer and businessman and the Madrid City Council, led by Mayor José Luis Martínez-Almeida. The Caja Mágica, the epicenter of tennis in the capital of Spain, will not be the main venue of the tournament, leaving its place to the Madrid Arena, where a tennis championship has not been held since 2008. Gerard Piqué and José Luis Martínez-Almeida have led the negotiations in the first person, and both parties agreed on the change of venue, relegating the Caja Mágica in favor of a Madrid Arena much more adaptable to what is required of an event held in the last months of the year. They both have a good relationship and they talked about the last fringes before sealing the agreement, and they offered the installation of the Madrid Arena for the celebration of the Davis Cup 2021. Kosmos Tennis already had the idea of changing the installation of its headquarters, for which it welcomed the proposal to join the Madrid Arena. The company chaired by Gerard Piqué even considered the possibility of going to the Wizink Center to be the Madrid headquarters of the Davis Cup, but it was rejected due to lack of space to place the necessary infrastructure for an event of such magnitude. Madrid Arena, therefore, appeared as a reliable alternative that already has experience when it comes to hosting a tennis event of the highest level, as happened with the Masters 1000 in Madrid, then the Masters Series, between 2002 and 2008. In addition to the single and main court, with capacity for 10.000 spectators, Kosmos will be able to count on the Palacio de Cristal as an alternative for the infrastructure related to advertising, trade and catering stands.Change of role for Madrid at DavisMadrid will not have the same role in this edition of the Davis Cup as the that it had in 2019, where it was the sole venue of the tournament. In 2021, Kosmos Tennis decided to withdraw the organizational exclusivity from the Spanish capital, in order to achieve greater time flexibility – the tournament goes from 7 to 11 days for the same reason – and the influx of the public, one of the main deficits of the first edition of the tournament, together with the after-hours finals in the first match days. Innsbruck (Austria) and Turin (Italy), will be the other venues for the championship by teams. The offer of the Madrid Arena by the City Council is understood from the change of conditions advanced by this means in January, by which it ceased to be an official sponsor of the Davis Cup to become a collaborator of the tournament, with the transfer of the tournament facilities and the conditioning of these. In addition, it will also collaborate with the publicity of the event, one of the stellar in sporting terms for the capital.The Madrid Arena represents an important change for the Davis Cup. Kosmos had the Caja Mágica to repeat what was done in 2019, but the City Council has offered the Casa de Campo complex, with a more affordable rent and smaller dimensions than the Villaverde complex. Both facilities are managed by the same company, Madrid Destino, so it does not suppose in any case a war of interests.The advantages of the Madrid Arena While the Caja Mágica has three main stadiums, used in the previous edition of the Davis Cup, the Madrid Arena has only one large playing court, considered by Kosmos as sufficient to meet the expectations of the Davis Cup in Madrid. The Madrid Arena also has a series of advantages with respect to the Caja Mágica that have weighed on the decision of the City Council, accepted as part of the agreement by Kosmos Tennis, pending a final meeting in which to sign the agreement of The main one is the consideration that the Madrid Arena is a sufficient stage for the Davis Cup, taking into account that in addition to the capital, Kosmos chose two sub-venues, which will host two of the competition groups and two quarterfinals. In addition, the Casa de Campo Fairground is considered a less cold location than the Caja Mágica, due to its indoor condition throughout the year – the Caja tracks are roofed, but the rest are covered, not closed – and more easy to set up –a task of the consistory– in terms of commerce and restaurants.