Rio 2016 tennis venue draws praise

Two-time US Open mixed doubles champion Bruno Soares said on Friday that Rio's Olympic tennis centre gave him "goosebumps" as he ratchets up his preparations for next year's Games.

Soares is one of 74 male and female players from Brazil currently taking part in the Aquece Rio Brazil Mastercup, an official Rio 2016 test event, Xinhua news agency reported.

Also present are Brazil's top-ranked singles players Thomaz Belucci and Teliana Pereira, along with Paralympic medal hope Natalia Mayara.

"It's fantastic, really impressive. centre court is beautiful, enormous, and it gives me goosebumps to imagine in full," Soares told Rio2016.com.

Located at Barra Olympic Park, the tennis centre comprises a permanent 10,000-seat centre court, two secondary courts, with 5, 000 and 3,000 temporary seats, seven outside courts and six warm-up courts.

During the Paralympic Games it will host five-a-side football for visually impaired athletes.