“Borg impressed me, I admire Nadal”

Jordi Cambra He has been the president of RCT Barcelona-1899 since 2018. A club celebrating its 125th anniversary, which he attended since he was 6 years old. Now 68, he intends to run for a second term this fall.

What would the founders say if they saw the club today?

That many things have changed, but they can be proud. We gave it continuity and positive evolution. I doubt they believe it will have a continuation like that. When Ganduser Street was left for the current headquarters, with Carlos Godó as president, half of the partners dropped out because it seemed too far from the city. Now we find ourselves surrounded by apartments and schools. We may not grow, but we reorganize ourselves.

What makes RCTB different?

There are several reasons, with all due respect to other clubs. We are the first as a tennis club and we have the name of the city. Because of this, we have had a very marked tennis tradition. Supremacy is well known thanks to people like coach Joan Ventura. And when tennis began to be recognized, we were the first to organize a world tennis competition. In the 20s And the ‘boom’ of the Davis Cup in the 60s, on the charm court. We do other things, but tennis is still king. No other club, that I know of, has had champions or internationally recognized players like we have, in terms of Grand Slam champions, tournament champions, men’s and women’s. And members of the Davis Cup team.

The impression is that Catalan and Spanish tennis are struggling now to have more players.

We are lucky with Rafa Nadal, now Carlos Alcaraz. The competition is getting bigger and bigger. It is also a question of stripes. As a club we try to have the best club tennis school, but our goal is to train good players and good people who can combine learning with tennis. If any professionals show up later, they are welcome. But nowadays you have to commit yourself from the age of 12 or 13, and this is not the profile we work with.

Which tennis player influenced you the most?

Bjorn Borg, who I fought in a junior tournament. The first began to travel with a coach, Bergelin, who began to interpret tennis as ‘I put myself at the bottom and now you can win points from me if you can’. He became a professional very young and had a beastly physique. I was also impressed with the strength of Becker’s serve, as was Sampras. At the time Laver, Santana’s class, obviously. And the one I admire the most, Rafa Nadal.

Twelve-time champion of Godó.

He was able to win even playing poorly, because he was so superior. In his first points he made points that we had never seen before. That drive, the banana, came on strong enough to hit a winning blow. It has also improved over the years. And I admire him for his attitude on the court. I think he’s the only one we haven’t seen make a bad move on the track. Even Federer has broken rackets in his time.

What does it mean if he is with Alcaraz?

It would be good if they play, the final Nadal-Alcaraz will be incredible. Tickets are sold out as usual. Everyone is lucky to have them. We provide all the facilities to make them a reality. Let’s see what happens.

The installation is what it is. ATP demands more and more from tournaments.

It’s a challenge every year. Also an economic challenge, it belongs to the club, to the members, we run the risk. ATP is talking about possible changes today. We need to maintain being the best 500 tournament possible, at all levels. By bringing in the best tennis players we have, making the facility as welcoming as possible for the public and sponsors. And exploit our value and assets, that being a club has an attraction like no other. This creates an environment that tennis players greatly appreciate, and it should be worked on and exploited to the fullest. Make it also a meeting center for networking, exchange of projects and ideas, contacts. Create an attractive hospitality. Let the experience be more than tennis, let the tournament be about watching good tennis, but have other interesting and fun activities. What we call the ‘Disney effect’, that anyone entering the contest will find a great atmosphere.

What if you have to leave the club?

If we have to go out, we will think, we will study and we will evaluate. The tournament causes inconveniences for the members, it is a huge puzzle. I was amazed at how well organized the team was. For the member, a month and a half of not enjoying the club, but most are proud to do so here. Economically also helps the club, yes. And we want it not to be just a tournament of RCT Barcelona, ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ This is happening and the U-14 boys and girls tournament is helping us a lot. The Godó tournament is an asset and we will fight to keep it, because it is good for the club and for the city. If one day the need for ATP forces us to leave it? It’s possible. We’ll check it out and see how we do.

What does the tournament mean to you?

I’ve been through it all. I’ve played, the old one, I didn’t get to the big picture. I am the president of this club because I love it and I have been coming since I was six years old. I was active in sports, I was social champion in all possible events, team champion, in Catalonia and Spain. Part of my life. At Godó I even helped the referee, Miguel Lerín. I handled the daily routine of which court the players should go to, when there was a problem I went. He said if a ball was good or bad, during Panatta, Taroczy, Tiriac, Nastase. The tournament is the club’s Major Festival. I remember the final between Gisbert, who was from the club at the time and meant everything, and Mulligan. To Orantes and Higueras, my friends. I played until the Galea Cup (under-21 teams). I watched my friends Javier Soler, Ángel Giménez, and José Higueras play Godó, and I had a certain healthy envy. I continued to study. Back then the players weren’t as isolated as they are now, you walk into the locker room, you live with them. I have only good memories and tennis has helped me a lot.

As the president, he has to experience situations like the coronavirus.

We had unusual episodes. In 2020 it was not done, in 2021 it was restricted and in 2022 it rained. And on the 23rd Nadal was injured, but we had the Alcaraz-Tsitsipas final, which was a victory. We got out of the coronavirus well because we suspended the tournament at the right time, and we were also right to organize a restricted Godó in 2021. But I had a very bad time in the 2022 Godó, it rained like never before, with two days in one row was cancelled. People were very nervous, playing or not, whether or not we returned the tickets, which we did.

Now we are in summer.

We got it right with the flagship sustainability project. When the electricity is finished, we can say that we are watering the slopes and plants with recycled water. This is a pioneering project, there were tests that at first did not go well because there were traces of soap, the water turned into foam. In the end, together with Agbar, we were able to reuse gray and rainwater.

Is being president worth it?

It’s worth it because I love this club, even though I spend more time playing tennis than meetings or meetings. If it improves and we meet the goals, which I think we have achieved enough, it will be the satisfaction of a job well done. If the result is negative, I will evaluate it as negative. We owe it to our partners, we cannot lower the level of excellence. But this is not compatible with the fact that it has always been a supportive club, now at the Foundation. We have a school with almost 400 children at risk of social exclusion, in ten districts of the city.

Will he run for re-election?

My intention is to continue, if my family and health allow me. Many things remain to be done. The covid has stopped things, we must unite the Foundation, the reform of the tennis school. We need tracks outside as an escape valve. And we are concerned about where Godó is taking the evolution of ATP. You should be there, close. We operate multiple locations and are very independent. Everything was very well done and reached the Board, who agreed with it. That makes my job easier, I feel supported by the executive team and the Board.