Javier Marti’s Madrid

Spanish tennis still has some great surprises in its nursery. Take Javier Marti for example. At only 20 years old, he’s 173rd in the ATP rankings, and is one of Spain’s greatest hopes. Just before playing his 1/16th double against the French pair-Monfils Gasquet, he took the time to talk about his city, Madrid. And apparently he’s having a blast there.

Madrid, pretty nice isn’t it? Definitely. I think it’s one of the best city in the world. I don’t say that because I live here, but because in Madrid you’re free to do whatever you want. I wouldn’t change Madrid for any other City in the world.   What’s the best restaurant in Madrid? Personally, I’m into meat restaurant. I go there a lot. But the one I like the most is called « Alfredo’s » and it’s a burger place just by Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, the food there is just amazing.   Where do you go for a drink? My parents own a tennis club so I’m at the bar of club house quite often. It’s called « the Raqueta ». But otherwise, in Madrid city centre, I really love a place called the Latina. It’s a neighbourhood with loads of bars and terraces. The crowd there is fantastic.   The best culinary speciality of Madrid? My mother’s tortilla, it’s unbelievable, trust me. I’m also into the cocido madrileño. It’s a traditional dish made with Chicken, peas, chorizo and morcilla… It’s very nice, but I would not recommend eating this before playing tennis…   A romantic place to come as a double? Well, to be honest, I don’t even have a girlfriend so… (laughs) I don’t really go to these kind of place, but if I did had one, I’ll probably take her to the Retiro, it’s the park in the centre of Madrid, we could do romantic walks and all…   A place to go single ? There’s so many of them in Madrid. I love to party with my mates. We change clubs quite often, but the ones I will always go back to are the Pacha and the Moma. The crowd there is really cool. But there are so much more…   By Thibaud Leplat, Madrid