Rafael Nadal has a special request for the organisers of the Madrid ATP tournament. It concerns the semifinal match of the Champions League

Spanish tennis player Rafael Nadal sent a special request to the tournament organisers. He does not want to play his second round match at the same time as the second semi-final match between Real Madrid and Manchester City.

Rafael Nadal will make his debut at the ATP Madrid Masters 1000 today, Wednesday 4 May, specifically in the second round.

The world number four will face Miomir Kecmanovic to open the tournament, but the legendary Spaniard had a special request for the event organisers.

Nadal has asked Madrid tournament director Feliciano Lopez not to play simultaneously with the development of the second leg of the Champions League semi-final between Real Madrid and Manchester City.

Nadal is a big fan of the White Ballet and was present at the Santiago Bernabeu recently when Real secured their thirty-fifth league title with a 4-0 win over Espanyol.

“Rafa likes to play in Madrid during the day. But he asked us not to play his game at the same time as Real Madrid against Manchester,” Lopez told El Larguero, as quoted by Marca.

His match against Kecmanovic will therefore be played in the afternoon, with the Champions League semi-final rematch kicking off at 9pm.

Nadal, according to his words, intends to come directly to the Santiago Bernabeu, moreover, he would not go alone. Nadal’s compatriot Carlos Alcaraz is also expected to go to watch the Real Madrid home match.

Spain’s Alcaraz will play Georgia’s Nikoloz Basilashvili, who beat Italy’s Fabio Fognini 7-5 and 6-4, in the second round of the Madrid tournament.

Real, however, will not have an easy time of it. It lost its first semi-final match to Manchester City 3-4 and will have to turn around the unfavourable result.

Sources: ATP Masters, Marca