It’s almost time for one of the highlights of the tennis calendar with the Madrid Open returning this week with its combined WTA and ATP 1000 events.
The clay court tournament regularly attracts the biggest names from around the world and among the men, all eyes will be on Carlos Alcaraz.
The 20-year-old Spaniard is the two-time reigning champion, having won the Madrid Open in 2022 and 2023, but he will face tough competition in his bid to win a hat-trick of titles.
Madrid Masters Tennis Tips
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Alcaraz is worth fighting
Alcaraz remains one of the most dangerous clay court operators on the planet and is understandably considered the man to beat.
But the tournament’s second seed hasn’t spent much time on court lately and this will be his first European tournament on clay in 2024.
Indeed, an arm injury prevented Alcaraz from missing the Monte Carlo Masters and the Barcelona Open.
The draw is also quite testing for Alcaraz, who could face Andrey Rublev or Holger Rune in the quarterfinals and last year’s runner-up Jan-Lennard Struff in the fourth round.
Tsitsipas can seize opportunity in Madrid
If Alcaraz is to be sidelined, Jannik Sinner will appeal to many given his blistering start to 2024, but Greek talent Stefanos Tsitsipas appears to be the better choice.
Tsitsipas loves playing on a slower surface, having already reached the French Open final, and he won the Monte Carlo Masters earlier in April.
En route to the title, Tsitsipas became only the second player this season to defeat Italian ace Sinner and he also reached the final of the Barcelona Open last week.
He has won ten of his 11 matches on clay in 2024 and, after reaching the final five years ago, he looks like a good bet to win the Madrid Open.
Ruud ready to capitalize on Barcelona triumph
Among Tsitsipas’ closest competitors could be the man he faced in the finals of the Barcelona Open and Monte Carlo Masters, Casper Ruud.
Ruud was beaten by Tsitsipas in Monte Carlo but made amends by winning the Barcelona final, claiming his first ATP 500 title.
Following that immediately with an ATP 1000 title is a big ask, but Ruud is brimming with confidence and has won 29 of his 36 matches in all competitions this year.
The three-time French Open finalist is another adept clay-court player and is a dark horse to go the distance in the Spanish capital.
Like Tsitsipas, Ruud also has the advantage of being in the opposite half of the draw against Alcaraz and that is another reason to support the Norwegian.
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