Mallorca Championships 2022: "Much more than a tennis tournament"
Today, the official presentation of the ATP 250 Mallorca Championships took place. The tennis tournament, which is hosted in Calvià from 18-25 of June, will once again put the focus of the sport world on the Balearic island. For the second year in a row, the Mallorca Country Club will welcome some of the best tennis players in the world. Five of the world’s top 20 players have already committed to playing in the Mallorca Championships. Catalina Cladera, president of the Consell de Mallorca, Iago Negueruela conseller de Model Econòmic, Turisme i Treball, Alfonso Rodríguez, major of Calvià, Edwin Weindorfer, CEO and founder of the e|motion group, and Pilar Carbonell, director of e|motion sports Hispania have proudly presented the ATP Mallorca Championships today.
Tournament director Toni Nadal said: “Feliciano Lopez will receive a wildcard for our tournament. We are proud to have such a great line-up of players for the second consecutive year. This certainly has to do with the quality of our grass courts, as well as the magnificence and stunningly beautiful landscape of our island.” Feliciano Lopez, who is known for his great skills on grass courts, returns to Mallorca, where he won his 500th victory on the ATP tour last year.
Sustainability as a fundamental pillar of the event
The focus of today’s presentation was on tennis, but there were also other topics. As tournament director Edwin Weindorfer explained: “We will have the best players in the world, but the Mallorca Championships are much more than just a tennis tournament. We want to be a flagship event for Calvià and for the whole island and so we have taken a step forward in regards to sustainability this year.”
Therefore, the tournament today introduced Austrian hydration brand waterdrop ® as one of the main sponsors of the event. As the brand aims to encourage people to drink more water in a sustainable way, this fits perfectly with the tournament’s new goal. waterdop ® will provide the Mallorca Championships with smart hydration players benches on the court, but also innovative hydration solutions for the public, like hydration stations and bars. Additionally, the tournament and waterdrop ® will donate €1 for every refillable bottle purchased at the tournament to the Mallorca Preservation Fund. The organizers expect to save up to 50,000 plastic bottles during the event with this promotion. “Our mission is to inspire people around the world to drink more water in a sustainable way. We are developing ecological solutions to promote responsible consumption of tap water and avoid the outdated idea of having to bottle and ship unsustainable and mostly unhealthy beverages”, added Martin Murray, CEO and founder of waterdrop ®.
The spectators of the tournament will be offered free filtered water provided by local partner KM Zero.
Another sustainability initiative is the recycling of most of the tennis balls used during the tournament. In Spain, more than 19 million tennis balls are used every year, with the main part of those ending in the trash. Thanks to GreenBall, the tournament seeks to raise awareness for this problem by recycling and converting more than 1,000 tennis balls into energy.
Mallorca Championships Opening Gala: An event for Ukraine
"Much more than a tennis tournament." The opening ceremony of the tournament will be held on Friday, June 17th. Like last year, the tournament’s kick-off will feature an exhibition match followed by a VIP gala. The exhibition will be played by former top players like Tommy Haas and current top ATP players. All revenue from the ticket sales will go directly to “Tennis Plays for Peace”, a collaboration created by the ATP with the WTA and the four Grand Slam tournaments. The idea behind this charity is to help the people in Ukraine. Massimo Calvelli, CEO of the ATP: “We are delighted to see the Mallorca Chapionships rally behind our Tennis Plays for peace initiative in support of the Tour’s humanitarian relief efforts for Ukraine. More than US $ 1.1 m has been raised so far, and we would like to thank the tournament organizers in Mallorca for this valuable contribution towards our collective efforts. We wish everyone involved with the Mallorca Championships the very best ahead of what will undoubtedly be another successful tournament.”
The tournament also proudly announces that our ticketing partner Eventim España will donate to the Ukrainian people all the expenses of the event’sticket sales. “From Eventim Spain, we would like to thank the ATP and the Mallorca Championships for launching this initiative. We are delighted to join actions that contribute to improve, as far as possible, the humanitarian situation that is taking place”, said Lourdes Barrios, responsible for communications of Eventim Spain.
Substantial Institutional support
Mallorca, and Calvià in particular, will once again have a world-class men's tennis event. The president of the Consell Insular de Mallorca Catalina Cladera emphasizes: "We are pleased that Mallorca is, with an event in the municipality of Calvià, the epicentre of world tennis featuring the best players, thus putting the island on the international sports map".
On the other hand, Iago Negueruela, conseller de Model Econòmic, Turisme i Treball, stresses that "the public-private initiatives are vital for destinations like the Balearic Islands to lead the necessary transformation, also supported by the media impact that will be projected with such an important international sport event. Thanks to the e|motion group, which already took a risk last year in a complex situation, but still believed and invested in the tournament despite the difficult situation. Therefore, such initiatives should also be supported from the institutions".
The mayor of Calvià, Alfonso Rodríguez Badal, thanked the organization for once again choosing Calvià to host the tournament, and also the other administrations for their support. “Calvià is known for it´s quality brand, and it is these aspects, which administrations should put their focus on”. The mayor added that "everyone will talk about how extraordinary our destinations, Calvià and Mallorca, are. Without any doubt, it´s great opportunity for Calvià to show the world its potential as a tourist destination".
Tournament information.
As part of the grass swing leading up to Wimbledon, the ATP 250 Mallorca Championships will welcome some of the best tennis players, such as world number 2 and current title holder, Daniil Medvedev, Australian Nick Kyrgios, and Spanish tennis players Pablo Carreño and Roberto Bautista. You can check the full entry list here. The courts of the Mallorca Country Club, located in Santa Ponça (Calvià), will host a total of 28 players in the singles draw and 16 pairs in doubles. The last available tickets can be purchased at the official website of the tournament. The event is expecting up to 3,500 tennis fans per day during the seven days of the tournament.
