This morning the Mutua Madrid Open made history by setting a new Guinness World Record for the most people bouncing tennis balls on tennis racquets at the same time for ten seconds. On a sunny morning in the Caja Mágica and with participation from a host of spectators, the Madrid tournament beat the record of 767 people set at the China Open last year. In total, according to the official count from the assistant judges and the official Guinness World Record judge Anna Orford, the number achieved in Madrid was 1,474, giving the Mutua Madrid Open a new record.

Today, 1 May, International Workers’ Day, Adecco and the tournament organisers ran the event in celebration of 15 years of employment at the Mutua Madrid Open and to pay homage to the more than 8,000 workers who have in some way contributed their work to this competition.

Early on Sunday morning, the record-breakers were banging on the doors of the Caja Mágica in their eagerness to get onto the tournament’s centre court, Manolo Santana, which was chosen to host the event organized by Adecco to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the Madrid Open. The participants were provided with rackets and balls courtesy of Dunlop and accompanied in the attempt by several WTA and ATP players: Stan Wawrinka, Kei Nishikori, Tomas Berdych, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Arantxa Parra Santoja, Anabel Medina, Olga Savchuk, Vania King and Alla Kudryavtseva all took part, as did tournament director Manolo Santana and the owner of the Mutua Madrid Open, Ion Tiriac.

“On International Workers’ Day, we wanted to pay homage to all of Spain’s workers and in particular the 8,000 employees we have contracted over the course of the last 15 years at the Mutua Madrid Open, who have helped this tournament become one of the most important in our country,” said Adecco CEO Enrique Sánchez.

For his part, Manolo Santana, the event’s director, who was also present for the record, stated: “it is important that the people know that we create a huge number of jobs every year. It would have been impossible for the Mutua Madrid Open to reach 15 years without the great workers we have had and that is why this Guinness record was a great tribute to all of them”.