“More than to be a legend, I want to be happy…”. Rafa Nadal said farewell to the Mutua Madrid Open in 2024 and he left behind another great quote. He made the remark to Jaime Álvarez ‘Gravesen’ in the second season of IGUALES, the Mutua Madrid Open podcast.
In that same conversation the 22-time major champion confirmed that he would be forming the NadAlcaraz duo for his farewell to the Olympic Games and his final matches on the Philippe Chatrier court.
This is the Mutua Madrid Open’s official podcast in a nutshell. Produced during the weeks of competition in the underbelly of the Caja Magica, the conversations follow a relaxed format, where players chat with their guards down, unhindered by the shackles of traditional interview styles. They open up and talk about their tastes, passions and interests; much more than just tennis. It can be watched on video on the Mutua Madrid Open YouTube channel, as well as listened to on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and iVoox.
The podcast now has over 30 episodes under its belt from 2023 and 2024 and has been graced by the best players in the world, including Carlos Alcaraz, Iga Swiatek, Janik Sinner, Aryna Sabalenka, Daniil Medvedev, Paula Badosa and the aforementioned Rafa Nadal. As well as the biggest tennis players of the moment, there is always room for legends of the sport such as Juan Martín del Potro, Carlos Moyà, Feliciano López and Alex Corretja, who have all enjoyed in-depth discussions with Gravesen in which they were able to talk about tennis from a different point of view.
The set on which the podcast is recorded is always one of the tournament’s hotspots and it will be no different in 2025. “After two years of experience I’m here with renewed excitement and I can’t wait to do it again. The learnings from 2023 and 2024 will help me improve the finer details. I want the fans to be able to discover other sides to the players and I think the atmosphere it creates enables them to talk about things we’re not used to hearing. I feel privileged and it’s a joy to be able to do it for the third year in a row”, acknowledged Gravesen.
Who will be the special guest stars on the podcast in 2025? Will we be wowed by another spectacular set?
The third season of IGUALES is here for the enjoyment of the fans and anyone who wants to take a deep dive into the world of tennis. There is much more than just a tennis player under the brim of the cap of the global superstars who will wander the hallways of the Caja Magica from 21 April to 4 May and, with Gravesen there to guide us, we can continue to get to know each of them a little better.
