Tuesday’s play at the Mutua Madrid Open includes the conclusion of the opening round and the start of the second round in the men’s singles draw. Top seed Novak Djokovic faces Gael Monfils in one of the highlights on Manolo Santana Stadium, with Carlos Alcaraz closing play on centre court against Nikoloz Basilashvili.

Sixth seed Andrey Rublev takes on British wild card Jack Draper earlier in the day in the third men’s match on the show court, while Andy Murray and Denis Shapovalov headline the men’s action on Aranxta Sanchez Stadium.

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[1] Novak Djokovic (SER) vs. Gael Monfils (FRA)

Monfils has never beaten Djokovic in 17 previous ATP Head2Head meetings. But with Djokovic admittedly not at top form, this could be the Frenchman’s best chance to get his first victory against the Serb.

“I’m still finding the form. I’m not playing at the desired level,” Djokovic said ahead of the Madrid ATP Masters 1000 event. “But I am getting there. It’s a process and I have to be patient and believe that I am on the right track, which I feel I am.”

Monfils is also seeking a return to form. After reaching the Australian Open quarter-finals at the start of the season, he has played only three events since. He withdrew from Monte Carlo with a foot injury, and won his first clay match of the season on Monday against Spanish qualifier Carlos Gimeno Valero.

“I am getting my rhythm back as well and it is funny because he is too, but has more matches on clay than me,” Monfils said. “I will try and make good decisions on the court, to try and beat him.”

[7] Carlos Alcaraz (ESP) vs. Nikoloz Basilashvili (GEO)

Barcelona champion Alcaraz begins his quest for a home-nation double as he returns to the Spanish clay for the second straight event. Now at a career-high of World No. 9, the 18-year-old will seek a repeat performance from his 2021 Roland Garros meeting with Nikoloz Basilashvili, when he advanced in straight sets.

Basilashvili, who entered Madrid at No. 27 in the ATP Rankings, reached the Doha final in February but has not been able to string together consecutive tour-level victories since. After a busy April in which he competed in Monte Carlo, Barcelona and Munich, the Georgian is competing for the fourth straight week on the ATP Tour.

Alcaraz earned his first career ATP Masters 1000 win in Madrid last season and recalls coming to the event as a child before competing in an under-12 event at the tournament site.

“It would be a special trophy here. It’s a special tournament, home crowd,” said Alcaraz, a native of Murcia. “We travel around the world during the whole year and playing in Madrid, playing at home is really amazing. The fans here in Spain enjoying watching us play is really important for us.”

[14] Denis Shapovalov vs. [WC] Andy Murray

Shapovalov scored a gutsy win over Ugo Humbert in his first clay match of the 2022 season, saving nine break points in the second set to advance on Monday, including four as he served out the match. The 23-year-old won his only previous ATP Head2Head meeting against Murray in straight sets one year ago in the Wimbledon third round.

Murray was not planning to play on the clay this season, but accepted a Madrid wild card after the hard-court ATP Challenger Tour events on his calendar were cancelled. On Monday, he earned his first clay win since 2017 by beating Dominic Thiem, 6-3, 6-4.

“I enjoyed it. I prepared really hard before coming here,” said Murray. “My body felt really good in the last few weeks and tonight I felt like I moved well and I played a really good match.”

Murray, who is now 8-1 in opening-round matches on the season, will seek to get beyond the second round for the first time since his run to the Sydney final in January.

Best Of The Rest

Rublev and Draper will meet for the first time when they open play on Manolo Santana Stadium. Rublev enters fresh off beating hometown hero Djokovic for the Belgrade title, while Draper earned his way into the second round with an assured win over Italy’s Lorenzo Sonego in his first tour-level event since Miami.

The action on Arantxa Sanchez Stadium includes three Spaniards: Albert Ramos-Vinolas opens play against Marin Cilic before 17th seed Roberto Bautista Agut takes on Jenson Brooksby and 16th seed Pablo Carreno Busta faces Munich finalist Botic van de Zandschulp.

Three intriguing doubles matches are set for Court 5, starting with eighth seeds Jamie Murray and Michael Venus taking on brothers Stefanos Tsitsipas and Petros Tsitsipas. Cameron Norrie and Tommy Paul will face Marcelo Melo and Alexander Zverev before Miami champions Hubert Hurkacz and John Isner take on Karen Khachanov and Rublev for a quarter-final spot.

Following their recent injury issues, former World No. 1 Andy Murray and 17-time tour-level titlist Dominic Thiem met for the first time in three years Monday at the Mutua Madrid Open.

The Scot overcame the Austrian 6-3, 6-4 to earn his maiden clay-court win since 2017 and improve to 3-2 in their ATP Head2Head series. Afterward, the pair shared a warm embrace at the net, with Murray ushering words of encouragement to Thiem, who was competing in just his third tour-level event since last June following a wrist injury.

“It was very nice, his words at the net, and it is worth even more from someone like him who really went through that recovery process,” Thiem said. “He is one of the few who knows how tough it is to come back after a major injury and obviously he is a role model with how he came back with his hip injury.”

Murray underwent hip surgery in 2019 and while he still wants to improve, he has climbed back into the Top 100, reached a tour-level final in Sydney and earned standout wins over Carlos Alcaraz, Hubert Hurkacz and Jannik Sinner since returning.

The 34-year-old shared his sympathy for Thiem after the match, but feels there are positives to take for the former World No. 3 moving forwards.

“It’s not easy coming back from such a long time [away]. I hope that it’s just sort of a mental thing that he will get through with more matches and that it’s not still something that is causing him pain or discomfort,” Murray said when asked about Thiem’s wrist injury.

“At times he hit it well, but there were certainly specific shots that usually he would make. He is still serving well, has a fantastic kick serve and was hitting his backhand very well. He’s an excellent mover.”

Murray will face Denis Shapovalov in the second round, with the Canadian currently working alongside Murray’s former coach Jamie Delgado. The 46-time tour-level titlist added that he is feeling physically strong ahead of their upcoming meeting.

“I do feel like I have started to play some better tennis, and I’m definitely moving better and moved very well tonight,” Murray said. “That’s a really important part of my game. It allows me to concentrate on the strategy a little bit more when I’m out there. I was just really happy all around with how I competed, how I played, how I moved, how my body felt.”

It was exactly eight years ago that Nick Kyrgios battled Jack Sock for the title at the Savannah Challenger. A pair of future Top 20 stars grabbed the spotlight on the green clay of the Franklin Creek Tennis Center, dueling for nearly two hours under the searing Savannah sun. In the end, it was Kyrgios who prevailed in three tight sets, denying Sock his first Challenger clay-court crown.

Eight years later, the American would have his shot at redemption. He did not disappoint. Sock continued his quest to return to the Top 100 of the ATP Rankings, blasting to the Savannah title on Sunday afternoon. After rising to a career-high No. 8 in 2017, the man with the ferocious forehand and lightning-fast hands is on the road back.

Back-to-back straight-set victories over countrymen Bjorn Fratangelo and Christian Harrison saw Sock find his way to the winners’ circle in Savannah. He defeated Harrison 6-4, 6-1 in Sunday’s championship, earning his first title of the year and fourth overall at the Challenger level. Moreover, it was his first crown on clay since prevailing at the ATP Tour event in Houston in 2015.

At the age of 29, Sock is on the rise after years of fighting to rediscover his elite form. It was nearly one year ago that he triumphed in Little Rock, en route to a return to the Top 200 in the ATP Rankings, and he is now on the cusp of the Top 100, soaring to No. 123 with his latest title.

Photo: Jacob Stuckey/Savannah Challenger

Sock spoke with broadcaster Mike Cation after prevailing in Savannah…

The 2014 final was such a battle against Nick Kyrgios. You were up big and he came back and won. A lot has changed since then for you, but tell me what this win means to you.
When you’re younger you take a lot of stuff for granted. Not necessarily in a negative way, but when you’re starting on the Challenger Tour, things just happen so fast. You don’t have the time to sit back and reflect. You’re bouncing from one tournament to the next. Now, things are a lot different for me. I have a wife, my family, Robby [Ginepri] and my team are around me. I’m able to calm down and soak in a lot of moments on court, compared to where I was even two years ago when I wasn’t sure I would keep playing.

Everyone here is good at tennis and you have to get through a whole draw, which is never easy. I don’t care if you’re playing singles or doubles, to get through a tournament always feels great. Of course, my goal at this point in my career is to not be playing Challengers, but this is a great step. You’re playing these to win them and advance to the next stage [on the ATP Tour]. It’s a positive step in the right direction and I take it day-by-day and keep going.

How did these courts make your forehand even more of a weapon this week? It really seemed to give you an advantage here.
With the green clay you can get a few more funky bounces than the red stuff in Europe, which can actually work to my advantage with a little more spin. That’s why I love clay, as it suits my game so much. I move very well on it. My forehand does really well on it too and the kick serve is very useful here. I used that a ton this week. It helps me a good amount.

You mentioned in the trophy ceremony that you’re now working with Robby Ginepri. What does he bring to your game?
It’s not rocket science necessarily. Especially at this point in my career. I’m almost 30 years old. Everyone here knows how to play tennis. But there are still little intricacies and things to work on, either pre-tournament or during the tournament. To his eyes, he might see something a little different. Obviously, Alex [Bogomolov, Jr.] brought me back from nothing and helped me get my ranking back up. With Robby, he’s known me for so long and we had a good start together from week one. He’s got a good eye for my game, has seen me play for a long time and has a vision for how I can win matches. I think that will be a big help as well.

It’s not easy to keep your focus at this level, especially when you’ve accomplished as much as you have. How have you been able to do that, and looking forward, how can you continue doing that in the months ahead?
It’s all about keeping the right perspective, honestly. These tournaments are super exciting when you’re young and just turned pro. Playing in Challengers feels awesome and you’re out here trying to work your way to the ATP Tour. And then you get there and you’re doing well for a bunch of years, as I was, but to come back to Challengers is a bit different.

I know what it takes and I know what it looks like to get back there. For me, I honestly don’t care if it’s a Challenger, a Masters 1000 or a Slam, I feel like if I can get through the first round or two, my level always rises. It always has.

Andy Murray owned the top spot in the ATP Rankings when he last took the court at the Mutua Madrid Open in 2017. His performance in a Monday victory over Dominic Thiem showed that his current level remains far closer to that mark than his current position of World No. 78.

Back on clay for the first time in nearly two years, the two-time Madrid champion looked right at home in a 6-3, 6-4 win. It was his first victory on the surface since the 2017 Roland Garros quarter-finals, when he beat Kei Nishikori.

Murray’s last clay-court match came at Roland Garros in 2020, and he had initially planned to skip this year’s clay swing before deciding to accept a wild card into the Spanish ATP Masters 1000 event. Nonetheless, he showed very few signs of rust in a dominant display.

In a strong serving performance that included nine aces, Murray saved all three break points he faced, with all three coming in in his opening service game of the second set. He won 78 per cent of his first-serve points in the one-hour, 42-minute contest.

Thiem, still seeking the first win of his comeback from a right-wrist injury, was brilliant in stretches on Manolo Santana Stadium — never more so than when he flicked a stunning backhand pass late in the opening set.

But the Austrian’s powerful forehand misfired too often in what was just his third tour-level event of the year, and Murray zeroed in on that wing to break serve in both sets. Thiem finished with 33 unforced errors, 24 of them coming from the forehand.

Both men used the drop shot to great effect throughout the match, with Thiem creating his own personal highlight reel early in the early stages. But Murray showed his touch, too, and came up with the pick of the bunch in a smooth half-volley as he drove home an early-break advantage in the second set.

With the victory, Murray improves to 8-1 in first-round matches on the year. He next faces the winner of 14th seed Denis Shapovalov’s matchup with lucky loser Ugo Humbert of France.

Cameron Norrie is known for his hard-court success, but the Briton showed he is plenty capable on clay Monday in Madrid.

The ninth seed made a good Mutua Madrid Open debut when he clawed past South Korean Soonwoo Kwon 7-5, 7-5 at the Caja Magica. He will next play big-serving American John Isner, who hit 30 aces in his straight-sets victory on Sunday.

There was not much to differentiate between Norrie and Kwon, a qualifier, on Stadium 3. But according to Tennis Data Innovation’s Insights, the Briton was just a bit better converting his offensive positions and escaping defensive positions, which made all the difference.

That was especially clear in the second set. After losing the opener, Kwon increased his aggression and dominated the pair’s Balance of Power, playing 25 per cent of his points from an attacking position compared to just 19 per cent for Norrie. 

But Norrie was a brick wall on defence, and the South Korean was unable to break through. The British lefty stole 47 per cent of his points from a defensive position, and was also more efficient converting his offensive positions, 68 per cent to 53 per cent (Learn More About Conversion & Steal Scores).

Set Two Insights:

Norrie, who competed in last year’s Nitto ATP Finals as an alternate, let slip a break advantage in the second set. But he recovered thanks to his defensive skills and on match point, he stepped into the court and crushed a forehand winner to triumph after one hour and 49 minutes.

The 26-year-old will hope to take a lead in his ATP Head2Head series with Isner, against whom he has split four previous meetings. Their most recent clash came earlier this year on the hard courts of Acapulco, where Norrie triumphed 6-7(2), 6-3, 6-4.

Gael Monfils looked in vintage form in his opening round win over Carlos Gimeno Valero at the Mutua Madrid Open on Monday afternoon, but the World No. 21 will have to go where he has never been before if he wants to extend his run at the ATP Masters 1000 event.

Monfils holds a 0-17 record against his second-round opponent, World No. 1 Novak Djokovic, and the two-time quarter-finalist is aware of the size of the task that lies ahead.

“[Playing Djokovic] is going to be a big challenge for me,” Monfils told ATPTour.com after his quickfire 6-3, 6-0 win over Spanish wild card Gimeno Valero. “I have never beaten him on the ATP Tour. I am getting my rhythm back as well and it is funny because he is too but has more matches on clay than me. I will try and make good decisions on the court, to try and beat him.”

If the Frenchman wants to notch a maiden win against 37-time Masters 1000 champion Djokovic, his outstanding defensive skills could be key. Perhaps more importantly, Monfils will have to use that defence to win points as effectively as he did against Gimeno Valero.

According to Tennis Data Innovations’ Conversion and Steal scores for the match, Monfils won 19 of 33 points after being in a defensive situation against the Spaniard. This gave him an impressive Steal score of 58 per cent for the first-round clash, showcasing Monfils’ ability to find a way to win points when under pressure (Learn More About Conversion and Steal Scores).

According to the match’s Balance of Power, Gimeno Valero was actually in an offensive position more often than Monfils. But the home favourite struggled to convert because of Monfils’ dogged defence, which made the difference.

Monfils will hope to regain his early season form as he faces Djokovic for the first time since 2020 in Dubai. The Frenchman began the season with an 8-2 record after clinching an 11th ATP Tour title in Adelaide and reaching the fourth round at the Australian Open in January. His form has dipped since then, but the 35-year-old is comfortable with his underdog status as he prepares to face three-time champion Djokovic in Madrid for the first time.

“The guy is better than me, that is it,” said Monfils. “Every match is an opportunity to win, I try to take some lessons. He can beat me tomorrow and maybe at Rome and then Roland Garros, and then maybe I can beat him once.”

Jannik Sinner clinched the win on Monday at the Mutua Madrid Open, but the 10th seed had to come back from the brink against Tommy Paul at the ATP Masters 1000 event.

Paul let slip two match points when serving for the match at 5-3 in the second set and another at 6-5 on the Sinner serve in the Spanish capital. The Italian upped his level at crucial moments to bounce back for a dramatic three-hour win.

Sinner is yet to reach a semi-final in 2022 but has shown good form at some of the biggest events this year, reaching the quarter-finals at the Australian Open and the Masters 1000 events in Miami and Monte Carlo. The Italian will hope his hard-fought win over Paul can be the catalyst for a deep run at the Caja Magica, where he holds a 1-1 match record.

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Things were running smoothly for Sinner early as he dominated from deep in the opening stages on Manolo Santana Stadium, but Paul admirably stuck with his opponent. The American began to settle into the pair’s first ATP Head2Head meeting and recovered 2-4 to force a first-set tie-break, which he took comfortably after opening an unassailable 5/0 lead.

Paul continued to strike the ball cleanly and show imagination when coming forward, but the momentum of the match changed when the American served for it at 5-3 in the second. Sinner ripped a series of blistering forehands to reclaim the break and then fended off another match point to force a tie-break.

Dropping the HAMMER 🔨@janniksin swinging from the shoulder to stay alive in Madrid!#MMOPEN pic.twitter.com/v3hd9CAxYC

— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) May 2, 2022

The 20-year-old looked to have found his range and after claiming the tie-break to level the match, he began to find searing winners off both wings to clinch an intriguing encounter 6-3 in the final set. A powerful serving performance aided the Italian when other parts of his game weren’t firing — he struck eight aces and won 72 per cent (46/64) of points behind his first delivery, according to Infosys ATP Stats.

Sinner now faces a second-round meeting with Alex de Minaur, who earlier defeated home favourite Pedro Martinez, 7-6(2), 1-6, 6-3. Sinner holds a 3-0 ATP Head2Head series lead over the 23-year-old Australian, a record that includes a straight-sets win for the Italian in the fourth round of the Australian Open in January.

The clay-court swing on the ATP Tour is a time for high-bouncing balls, lung-busting exchanges, red-stained socks and sliding into shots.

For Hubert Hurkacz, the period represents a chance to climb the ATP Rankings as he looks to transfer his strong hard-court form onto the red dirt. The Pole went 1-4 on clay in 2021 but has already earned three wins on the surface this year after advancing to the quarter-finals at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters.

Ahead of making his third appearance at the Mutua Madrid Open, Hurkacz revealed he is feeling confident that his game can continue to match up well on the clay this year.

“It is going to be better than last year because I was not winning matches then,” Hurkacz told ATPTour.com. “I have done some work with my coach and I am starting to feel better on clay courts. I think my game is going to be good. I think I have the capacity to play really well on the surface.

“I think I can move decently on clay courts. That helps, I can get to the ball. I feel that I can hit the ball hard on clay because I have more time on clay, so that is beneficial for me. I am just working on my game generally to improve on the surface.”

The World No. 14 has enjoyed standout results on both hard and grass, capturing his maiden ATP Masters 1000 title in Miami last year before he defeated Roger Federer en route to the semi-finals at Wimbledon.

While his thunderous groundstrokes and powerful serve are well suited on hard and grass courts, Hurkacz actually played primarily on clay when he was younger as he developed his game in Poland.

“In Poland we have so many clay courts, so when I was young I played a lot on clay courts,” Hurkacz said. “I definitely played way more on clay than I did on hard. From the age of eight all the way through until I was 16, I used to play on clay courts and enjoyed it. I feel comfortable playing on it.”

Hurkacz is defending just 143 ATP Ranking points from this week through the week of 20 June. He has already earned 180 points on the surface this year from Monte Carlo. With American Taylor Fritz the only player ranked above Hurkacz defending fewer points in that period, the Pole is targeting a return to the Top 10, after dropping out on 4 April 2022.

“It is definitely a focus to get back into the Top 10,” Hurkacz admitted. “If I can play at a good level, I will have chances to win tournaments. It is all about getting my game to a good spot and then I will have bigger opportunities to produce better results and reach finals.”

The 25-year-old was ranked outside the Top 30 at the start of the 2021 season. However, after capturing three tour-level titles, he qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin for the first time.

He is aiming to use the prestigious end-of-year event as fuel for further motivation in the coming weeks.

“Turin was a huge experience for me. I felt great there and the experience has really helped me,” Hurkacz said when reflecting on the prestigious end-of-year event. “It is also a big motivation to try and qualify again this year. Trying to become a better player and person. I want to improve my ranking and qualify for Turin.

“At the beginning of the year I had high expectations of myself. I wanted to do really well. I feel that I have got used to it now and am dealing with the pressure better and doing well.”

Hurkacz will face Bolivian qualifier Hugo Dellien in his opening match in Madrid as he looks to carry his Monte Carlo momentum into the second clay-court ATP Masters 1000 event of the season.

“I really, really like the city. Madrid is great,” Hurkacz said as he aims to win his first title of the season in the Spanish capital. “It is quite quick the surface here, which I feel suits my game and I feel I can have a good run here.”

No. 45 Holger Rune, +25 (Career High)
The #NextGenATP Dane cracks the Top 50 in the ATP Rankings for the first time after marching to a maiden tour-level title at the BMW Open by American Express in Munich without dropping a set. Rune notched a first Top 10 win over Alexander Zverev in the second round and celebrated his 19th birthday by dropping just two games in a stunning quarter-final win over Emil Ruusuvuori. He then lifted the trophy after Botic van de Zandschulp retired in the championship match. Read Munich Final Report & Watch Highlights.

View Latest ATP Rankings

No. 31 Botic van de Zandschulp, +9 (Career High)
The 26-year-old continued his solid rise with a run to a first ATP Tour final in Munich, jumping nine places to a career-high No. 31 after a productive week in Bavaria. The Dutchman took out second seed Casper Ruud in an impressive straight-sets win and battled past the in-form Miomir Kecmanovic in the semi-finals before he was forced to retire from his encounter with Rune.

No. 40 Sebastian Baez, +19 (Career High)
The 2021 Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals semi-finalist joins Rune in breaking the Top 50 after a stirring run to the title at the Millennium Estoril Open. The unseeded 21-year-old beat 2018 winner Joao Sousa, former World No. 3 Marin Cilic and defending champion Albert Ramos-Vinolas on the way to the championship match in Portugal, where he dominated fifth seed Frances Tiafoe to clinch a maiden ATP Tour title. Read Estoril Final Report & Watch Highlights.

Other Notable Top 100 Movers
No. 20 Grigor Dimitrov, +2
No. 25 Frances Tiafoe, +4 (Career High)
No. 30 Sebastian Korda, +7 (Career High)
No. 32 Miomir Kecmanovic, +6 (Career High)
No. 53 Oscar Otte, +9 (Career High)
No. 84 Alejandro Tabilo, +7 (Career High)