At the Real Club de Tenis Barcelona, each name engraved on the wall of winners of the Trofeo Conde de Godó – Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell is an echo of the tournament's history. Among those echoes is that of Tommy Robredo, a player who could not explain his professional career —which led him to be world number five, win twelve ATP titles and compete on the most important courts of the circuit— without mentioning this club and this tournament. Robredo (Hostalric, 1982) made his professional debut at the Godó at just 16 years old, won the tournament in 2004, and here he also decided to end his career in 2022, at 39 years old. His story, however, remains linked to the club and the Godó, now from the other side of the court.
During the pandemic, when the world stopped and the streets emptied, Robredo was forced to stop, an opportunity he took to draw his future, already thinking about his retirement as a professional player. He took paper and pen and traced different possible paths. In one of the branches appeared directing the Godó someday. It was not a defined plan, just a possibility.
Over the years, that branch has become a reality and Robredo faces his first edition as sports director of the Barcelona Open, replacing David Ferrer. In its 73rd edition, the tournament will once again bring together big names from the circuit such as Carlos Alcaraz, Alex de Miñaur, Casper Ruud or Félix Auger-Aliassime, and will include novelties such as the first night match.
We spoke with Tommy Robredo in facilities that are already bustling with activity: workers setting up stands, structures appearing between the clay courts, trucks entering and leaving the venue. Amidst this constant movement, Robredo speaks with serenity and order, with the calm of someone who builds great actions step by step, with lists and mental schemes. And when he talks about tennis, he goes back to the beginning: to Olot, to the club's fronton where it all began almost without realizing it.
— You started playing at just five years old. Is it an inherited passion?
— When you're little you don't stop to think about it. My father was a coach at Club Natació Olot and I enjoyed imitating him and accompanying him; in the end it became a shared passion. I remember that on weekends my parents played and I watched them from the fronton. When they finished, we ate and went home. Without realizing it, that hobby transformed into an ever-growing passion. I never felt like I made an important decision: it was simply what I liked to do most.
— Did you notice the change when tennis went from being a passion to a profession?
— At 14, I went to the Sant Cugat High Performance Center, with the Spanish Tennis Federation, and I had to leave Olot. That's how my relationship with the Real Club de Tenis Barcelona began, one of the best clubs in the world then and now. I started training there more and more regularly, but I lived it naturally: I went to school in the morning and trained in the afternoon. I kept winning matches, some championships, and more important tournaments every year, but I never had a specific moment when I said: "Now I want to be a professional."
I remember a curious anecdote: I was already around the 30th position in the world when a journalist asked me when I had become a professional. I told him I wasn't. And he replied: "Man, if you're already earning money and dedicating yourself to this, maybe you are."
"If tennis were elitist, I would never have been able to play," Tommy Robredo— And your first professional tournament was precisely here, at Godó.
— At 16, I was given an invitation to play the qualifying round. Playing at home is a difficult feeling to describe: I still remember as if it were yesterday the last point on court 1, looking up and seeing the stands full of friends, family, and people from the club. It's a moment I remember with great affection.
— Until you became world number five. Did you notice the differences between competing in the top 300, top 100, or top 10?
— I don't think I felt much pressure. Perhaps the change of scenery: you start on small courts and suddenly you're playing on the center court at Roland Garros, Wimbledon, or the US Open. The whole environment also changes: sponsors, dealings with tournaments… But I never set very specific ranking goals for myself. I tried to give my best and see how far I could get. Setting rigid goals only creates pressure and frustration.
"When you start you are very young and suddenly you become a company. You have to face the pressure, fame, and responsibilities of a professional career", Tommy Robredo— Which moment of your career would you keep?
— I always say that what I am most proud of is the feeling of having made the most of my career. I was very professional and methodical, always looking for ways to improve. I surely could have won some more matches or titles, but I have the feeling that I couldn't have done much more than I did. And that is very satisfying. It is also true that winning the Godó in Barcelona is very special: when you finish the match and look at the stands, you see friends, family, and people who have seen you grow up.
— Was there any player you were particularly excited to play against?
— As a child, I greatly admired Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi. I never got to play with Sampras; that's always been a thorn in my side. I did have the opportunity with Agassi, and at first, it's very impressive, because he's someone you've seen on television your whole life.
— In this long-distance race, were there difficult moments?
— When you start, you are very young and suddenly you become a business. You have to hire a coach, a physical trainer, a psychologist, manage trips, tickets, sponsors, press... all at just 20 years old. You also have to face the pressure, fame, and responsibilities of a professional career. At first, you have no experience and everything is a learning process. You make mistakes, but you also learn a lot: from every decision, success, or failure. I remember, for example, when I changed coaches at 21: until then, Miquel Margets had been like a second father to me, and telling him I needed a change was not easy at all.
Some players are lucky enough to come from families with experience in managing projects or businesses, and that gives them guidance in practical or financial aspects. I was a small-town person, with a normal and humble family. The luck I had was that my parents never got involved in anything, but they always supported me and helped me get back down to earth when needed, because when you're young it's easy to get sidetracked.
— Is tennis elitist?
— If it were, I would never have been able to play. My family had just enough resources to get by. My parents would not have been able to afford a professional career like today's, with big teams and many trips. It is true that there comes a point where, if you want to dedicate yourself professionally, it becomes an expensive sport: you need to travel a lot, a coach, a physical trainer… And it is economically unfeasible if you don't have a sponsor or some federation. But it is also a sport that many people practice simply as a hobby in social clubs.
"The pandemic was a very tough situation, but it forced me to stop and see that there was life after tennis"— You retire at 39 and you do it where it all began, at Godó.
— It was not a casual decision. When you get older, you notice that physically it's not the same anymore. You recover worse, it's harder to travel, it's harder to maintain the level in matches. The pandemic was a very tough situation, but it forced me to stop and see that there was life after tennis. I understood that the day I quit, it wouldn't be a drama. And I made the decision: I would play one more year to retire at Godó, at home and with my people.
— Do you miss that stage?
— There's nothing like playing on the court and feeling the energy of the crowd. I remember unique experiences, but the truth is I don't miss it. That intense stage has passed and it's not my time now. I prefer to dedicate myself to things I can do well and enjoy them: spending time with my family, with my daughters, and accompanying players in small details. I still practice a lot of sports, but I have to admit that I play little tennis. I live in Olot and I don't have many people to play with… Mostly I cycle and go to the gym: it helps me a lot mentally. Pedaling gives me time to think, reflect, organize ideas and put things in order. This way I stay active, take care of my body and, in the end, enjoy sports without pressure.
— And after retiring… Were you clear that you wanted to remain linked to tennis?
— I wasn't clear about my future, so I took a pen and paper and started drawing a diagram with different options. I was clear that I wanted to be more at home, not spend thirty weeks a year traveling, but spend more time with my wife and family.
I drew several branches: working as an advisor in a club, in a federation, helping young players, directing a tournament or even commentating on tennis matches. Finally, I started working as a sports advisor for Club Tennis Barcelona, my lifelong club. And it's true that, among those branches, Godó also appeared. Not as a concrete objective, but as an interesting possibility for someday.
— Over time, that branch has become a reality and it will be your first edition as sports director. How do you approach it?
— With humility and a desire to learn. My main responsibility is the sports part: I take care of the players who come and ensure they have the best experience while they are here. The goal is that when they leave, they think they want to come back.
Having been a player helps a lot because you know the circuit and you know what things make a difference. Sometimes they are not big changes, but small details: how they treat you, if everything is easy, if you have someone who solves your problems quickly.
"Barcelona is a great host city, it acts as an attraction in itself"— What does a tournament need for players to feel comfortable?
— Above all, that everything works well and without complications. Courts in good condition, a good hotel, easy transport, quality food… and also the human touch, taking care of their environment, their family… Barcelona, moreover, is a great host city, it acts as an attraction in itself: good weather, gastronomic and cultural offerings…
— Does the tournament also help project the city?
— Without a doubt. Barcelona and the Godó form a unique combination on the world circuit. It's a win-win relationship: the Godó attracts visitors, generates economic activity, and provides international projection. And Barcelona offers a fantastic setting for the tournament to grow.
— Do you think Barcelona feels the Godó as its own?
— It's a deeply rooted tournament: approximately 70% of the public is Catalan. Furthermore, the fact that it is held within a social club gives it a very warm and close atmosphere.
— What is it like to experience the tournament from the other side of the court?
— I don't come to revolutionize anything, but to take care of the details and coordinate the team. The tournament has a very solid history and structure, and it is an international benchmark. My job is to follow that line, maintain the strengths, and contribute my knowledge so that players and the club are comfortable.
"When a figure like Rafa Nadal retires, who for many is the best athlete in history, it seems impossible to find an immediate replacement. And suddenly Carlos Alcaraz appears and becomes number one in the world"— What excites you most to see this year at Godó?
— Projects like the Under-21, which gives young people the possibility to play a championship and get an invitation to the qualifying phase of the professional tournament. When I think about my time, it would have been a dream to have that opportunity at 14 or 16 years old. Also, the night match will be a new experience for players and fans.
— The Godó also reflects the good moment of Spanish tennis, with Alcaraz after Nadal…
— We are very lucky. When a figure like Rafa Nadal retires, who for many is the best athlete in history —and I'm not just talking about tennis— it seems impossible to find an immediate replacement. And suddenly Carlos Alcaraz appears and becomes number one in the world. Both are great athletes, but also great role models, transmitting very positive values.
To see Alcaraz play in Barcelona, also in this edition and in a club that has seen part of his career grow, is a true privilege.
— Will there be a generational change in Spanish tennis?
— There are never guarantees. Twenty years ago there were almost twenty Spanish players among the best in the world and now there are fewer. Sport works in cycles. But we must support young people so that they have opportunities and can grow. And at the same time enjoy the talent we have now, because each generation has its moment and those stages also pass.
— When future generations think about your time as sports director, how would you like them to remember your time at the tournament?
— I don't think about big headlines or being the best director in history. I would like that, over time, people could simply say that things were done well, that the team worked together and that the tournament continued to grow. That it be remembered as a stage in which everyone contributed, details were taken care of and everything worked. Meanwhile, I try to contribute my maximum every day, step by step, and for me that is already enough.
If when my time ends the team and my colleagues can say "Tommy got involved and helped in everything he could", I will already be satisfied.