The Mutua Madrid Open is a magnificent tennis tournament. The best players in the world compete here every year. In addition, the facilities are some of the most modern on the entire tour. In order to recount everything that happens on and off the courts, we have the tournament radio station, SetBall Radio. The station has grown year upon year and it seeks to better its quality each season.
David Blay spoke to us about those advances at the SetBall Radio stand: “This year there are more of us than ever”, he says. This allows them to provide listeners with more complete coverage. “We always have Edu Salan, Víctor Jiménez and José Izquierdo, normally in the Manolo Santana Stadium, to commentate on the matches. We always send someone to court two or three, normally Laura Ortega and Victoria Pellicer. Also, we tend to walk around to talk to tournament sponsors and interview them”, says David when asked about the advantages of having a bigger team.
In addition, the Mutua Madrid Open radio station is always innovating to make sure the listeners’ experience is as satisfactory as possible: “This year we are doing something new at the stand. We are broadcasting daily on Facebook Live with a 15 minute news show. One summarizing the previous day and what is coming up, and the other, in the afternoon, explaining what we have seen at the Mutua Madrid Open” says David.
SetBall Radio is responsible for telling listeners what is happening in the various matches. From the fixed system in the Manolo Santana Stadium, and with wireless one in the Arantxa Sánchez Vicario and Stadium 3.
Edu Salén spoke to us about the daily work on centre court: “We have several connections, a fixed one here, which we use to transmit all the matches, of which there are the same number in the morning and afternoon” he says. “From up here we broadcast the best matches. We’ve seen Halep, Kerber, Sharapova… the best players in the world”, he adds. He says that it is a pleasure to commentate on the best tennis for fans of the Mutua Madrid Open: “You do it with great enthusiasm. You’re not thinking about if you are tired or not, just about enjoying yourself and talking to the people”.
Elsewhere, Laura Ortega tells us how the wireless system works on courts two and three: “you sit here in the stands with the people and observe, above all, the reaction of the fans, the players’ gestures and what they are doing at all times”, she says. “As soon as they rest, you ask to go live and you tell the people what’s happening on court and what the atmosphere is like there”, she adds.
A quality team
Throughout the day, the SetBall Radio team move around the Caja Mágica to give a first-person account of everything that goes on at the Mutua Madrid Open. They try to give us a global vision of everything going on around the tournament. Jonathan Martínez explained: “We visit the outside courts to update scoreboards and take in the atmosphere”, he says.
“Inside the Caja Mágica, we talk with the various sponsors so that they can have a voice on the Mutua Madrid Open’s official radio station”, explains Jonathan when asked about what they do to make sure everybody knows what else goes on at the tournament.
In order to rub shoulders with the best, you cannot settle for the tournament being the only good thing. To be among the elite, you have to make sure everything that goes on at an event like this is done in style.
It is here that the Mutua Madrid Open sets itself apart. Spectators who come to the tournament are able to have a truly complete experience, because as well as seeing the tennis, they have a huge range of activities to entertain them throughout the day. From places to get a bite to eat, to stands where you can play videogames and have virtual reality experiences. If you add the tournament’s own live radio station, you have the perfect recipe for success.
