Rafael Nadal agrees to play exhibition at Real Madrid stadium, could break tennis attendance record - Reports

According to recent reports, Rafael Nadal has accepted the proposal of Real Madrid President Florentino Perez to play an exhibition match at the new-look Santiago Bernabeu stadium.

Perez had reportedly requested Nadal to mark the reopening of the renovated stadium by playing an exhibition match against Roger Federer or Novak Djokovic. At this stage it is unclear if either the Serb or the Swiss will be available for the match, but Nadal will seemingly be there.

Given that Rafael Nadal is one of Spain’s greatest sporting icons and also a long-time Real Madrid fan, it was a no-brainer for Florentino Perez to seek out the 20-time Major champion for the occasion.

The Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, home to Real Madrid since 1947, has been undergoing extensive rebuilding since June 2019.

❄️🏟️😍📍 Santiago Bernabéu#HalaMadrid pic.twitter.com/LlMmA8kCch

— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadrid) January 13, 2021

In addition to a retractable roof and a 360-degree video screen, the legendary stadium will also have a retractable floor. Beneath the standard football pitch will be multiple flooring options to allow the stadium to host a variety of events.

One of those options is a tennis court, which has reportedly been built to host a record-breaking exhibition match involving Rafael Nadal.

Florentino Perez

Some reports suggest that the fans will have to wait before they can watch Rafael Nadal unleash his signature forehand at the Santiago Bernabeu, as Real Madrid’s home stadium is still a while away from completion. The entire renovation process is expected to be completed between September 2022 and January 2023.

That said, the stadium could possibly be inaugurated this year itself as Real Madrid are likely to return to their new-look stadium at the start of next season.

🚧🏟️ | La rénovation du Santiago Bernabeu continue d'avancer à un bon rythme. L'objectif est d'être prêt pour le retour des supporters normalement prévu la saison prochaine.L'intégralité des travaux devrait se terminer entre septembre 2022 et janvier 2023. @marca pic.twitter.com/9xX0LUkqHO

— MEDIA SPORT INFO (@Mediasportinfo) March 7, 2021

With fans also to be permitted for the upcoming season, it seems likely that Rafael Nadal could inaugurate the stadium in 2021 itself. But with Nadal’s packed schedule - which includes the Olympics this year in addition to his usual tour commitments - it remains to be seen how and when the Mallorcan swings his racket at the Bernabeu.

Rafael Nadal and Real Madrid could end up breaking tennis' attendance record

The Match in Africa: Roger Federer v Rafael Nadal

The record for the highest ever attendance at a tennis match is currently held by the 'Match in Africa' between Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, which saw a spectator count of 51,954.

Federer organized the sixth edition of the exhibition on 7 February 2020, in a bid to raise funds for his foundation. Cape Town hosted the showpiece event, which also saw billionaire Bill Gates and television personality Trevor Noah taking part.

Gates teamed up with Federer to take on the pair of Nadal and Trevor Noah. After that, Federer squared off against Nadal in a best-of-three sets match, winning it 6-4, 3-6, 6-3.

Now, Florentino Perez might be able to break that record with the help of Santiago Bernabeu’s generous seating capacity of 80,000-plus. Should an exhibition between Rafael Nadal and any of the other top tennis stars take place at the stadium, even a three-fourth occupied Bernabeu will surpass Cape Town’s record.