Rafael Nadal will open his bid for a sixth Mutua Madrid Open title on Wednesday afternoon against #NextGenATP star Felix Auger-Aliassime. The 18-year-old Canadian, who defeated Denis Shapovalov in the first round, reached a clay-court final earlier this year at the Rio Open presented by Claro.

“He is a complicated opponent. He’s young. He’s played a couple of matches on clay this year already so he’s going to be a difficult opponent,” said Nadal. “For him here, everything is more even due to the altitude, the conditions.”

Defending champion Alexander Zverev, Kei Nishikori, Juan Martin del Potro and Estoril champion Stefanos Tsitsipas also play their second-round opening matches Wednesday. Zverev will confront David Ferrer after the former World No. 3 prevailed against Roberto Bautista Agut on Tuesday to extend his run in his farewell tournament.

More to come…

ORDER OF PLAY – WEDNESDAY, 8 MAY, 2019

MANOLO SANTANA start 12:00 noon
2 WTA matches
Not Before 4:00 pm
ATP – [WC] Felix Auger-Aliassime (CAN) vs [2] Rafael Nadal (ESP) 
Not Before 8:00 pm
WTA match
Not Before 9:30 pm
ATP – [WC] David Ferrer (ESP) vs [3] Alexander Zverev (GER) 

ARANTXA SANCHEZ start 12:00 noon
ATP – [6] Kei Nishikori (JPN) vs [Q] Hugo Dellien (BOL) 
ATP – Laslo Djere (SRB) vs [7] Juan Martin del Potro (ARG) 
ATP – [8] Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRE) vs [LL] Adrian Mannarino (FRA) 
ATP – [13] Borna Coric (CRO) or Lucas Pouille (FRA) vs [Q] Hubert Hurkacz (POL) 
Not Before 8:00 pm
ATP – Fernando Verdasco (ESP) vs [11] Karen Khachanov (RUS) 

STADIUM 3 start 12:00 noon
WTA match
ATP – Stan Wawrinka (SUI) vs Guido Pella (ARG) 
Not Before 4:00 pm
2 WTA matches
ATP – Wesley Koolhof (NED) / Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRE) or Marco Cecchinato (ITA) / Marton Fucsovics (HUN) vs [5] Nikola Mektic (CRO) / Franko Skugor (CRO) 

COURT 4 start 12:00 noon
4 WTA matches
ATP – Robin Haase (NED) / Raven Klaasen (RSA) vs [2] Lukasz Kubot (POL) / Marcelo Melo (BRA) 

COURT 5 start 12:00 noon
ATP – Frances Tiafoe (USA) vs Philipp Kohlschreiber (GER) 
Not Before 1:00 pm
ATP – Marton Fucsovics (HUN) vs [15] Gael Monfils (FRA) 
ATP – [10] Fabio Fognini (ITA) vs John Millman (AUS) or Steve Johnson (USA) 
ATP – [3] Jamie Murray (GBR) / Bruno Soares (BRA) vs Juan Martin del Potro (ARG) / Kei Nishikori (JPN) 
ATP – [6] Oliver Marach (AUT) / Mate Pavic (CRO) or Ivan Dodig (CRO) / Edouard Roger-Vasselin (FRA) vs Maximo Gonzalez (ARG) / Horacio Zeballos (ARG) 

COURT 6 start 12:00 noon
WTA match
ATP – Jeremy Chardy (FRA) vs Diego Schwartzman (ARG) 
WTA match
ATP – [Alt] Austin Krajicek (USA) / Artem Sitak (NZL) vs [WC] Roberto Carballes Baena (ESP) / Jaume Munar (ESP) 
ATP – [8] Henri Kontinen (FIN) / John Peers (AUS) or [WC] Nick Kyrgios (AUS) / Bernard Tomic (AUS) vs Guido Pella (ARG) / Joua Sousa (POR) 
ATP – Kyle Edmund (GBR) / Neal Skupski (GBR) vs Jean-Julien Rojer (NED) / Horia Tecau (ROU) 

Roger Federer makes his return to clay for the first time since 2016 on Tuesday night at the Mutua Madrid Open. The three-time Madrid champion awaits the winner between former World No. 7 Richard Gasquet and #NextGenATP Spaniard Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, who reached his first ATP Tour semi-final last week in Estoril. Federer, 37, is playing in his first tournament since claiming his 101st career title in March at the Miami Open presented by Itau

Novak Djokovic and David Ferrer also feature on court Manolo Santana on Tuesday. Djokovic, in his 250th week at No. 1 in the ATP Rankings, faces Taylor Fritz for a second straight ATP Masters 1000 tournament. Meanwhile, former World No. 3 Ferrer begins his final tournament against fellow Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut. Ferrer leads the FedEx ATP Head2Head 2-1, though both wins came in Grand Slam action in 2013.

More to come…

TUESDAY, MAY 7, 2019 – ORDER OF PLAY

COURT MANOLO SANTANA start 12:00 noon
WTA match
[1] Novak Djokovic (SRB) vs [Q] Taylor Fritz (USA)
Not Before 4:00 pm
[WC] David Ferrer (ESP) vs Roberto Bautista Agut (ESP)
Not Before 8:00 pm
[4] Roger Federer (SUI) vs Richard Gasquet (FRA) or [WC] Alejandro Davidovich Fokina (ESP)
WTA match

COURT ARANTXA SANCHEZ start 12:00 noon
Stan Wawrinka (SUI) vs [Q] Pierre-Hugues Herbert (FRA)
WTA match
Not Before 4:00 pm
WTA match
[13] Borna Coric (CRO) vs Lucas Pouille (FRA)
[Q] Reilly Opelka (USA) vs [5] Dominic Thiem (AUT)

STADIUM 3 start 12:00 noon
David Goffin (BEL) vs Marton Fucsovics (HUN)
[10] Fabio Fognini (ITA) vs Kyle Edmund (GBR)
[9] Marin Cilic (CRO) vs Jan-Lennard Struff (GER)
Two WTA matches

COURT 4 start 12:00 noon
WTA match
Diego Schwartzman (ARG) vs [16] Marco Cecchinato (ITA)
Jeremy Chardy (FRA) vs Albert Ramos-Vinolas (ESP)
John Millman (AUS) vs Steve Johnson (USA)
[8] Henri Kontinen (FIN) / John Peers (AUS) vs [WC] Nick Kyrgios (AUS) / Bernard Tomic (AUS)

COURT 5 start 12:00 noon
Guido Pella (ARG) vs [12] Daniil Medvedev (RUS)
Gilles Simon (FRA) vs [Q] Hugo Dellien (BOL)
Three WTA matches

COURT 6 start 12:00 noon
Alex de Minaur (AUS) vs Hubert Hurkacz (POL)
[LL] Adrian Mannarino (FRA) vs Joao Sousa (POR)
Two WTA matches
[6] Oliver Marach (AUT) / Mate Pavic (CRO) vs Ivan Dodig (CRO) / Edouard Roger-Vasselin (FRA)

COURT 7 start 12:00 noon
Marcel Granollers (ESP) / Marc Lopez (ESP) vs [5] Nikola Mektic (CRO) / Franko Skugor (CRO)
Robin Haase (NED) / Raven Klaasen (RSA) vs Alexander Zverev (GER) / Mischa Zverev (GER)
[3] Jamie Murray (GBR) / Bruno Soares (BRA) vs Radu Albot (MDA) / Nikoloz Basilashvili (GEO)
Marcelo Demoliner (BRA) / Daniil Medvedev (RUS) vs Dusan Lajovic (SRB) / Matwe Middelkoop (NED)
Wesley Koolhof (NED) / Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRE) vs Marco Cecchinato (ITA) / Marton Fucsovics (HUN) 

Rafael Nadal arrives at the Mutua Madrid Open without a title on the season for the first time in 15 years. But World No. 1 Novak Djokovic still has no doubt that the Spaniard is the favourite to lift the trophy.

“He’s always the No. 1 favourite to win any clay-court event. It’s not any different here in Madrid,” Djokovic said. “Actually, even more here in Madrid because he’s playing at home.”

Djokovic and Nadal have competed against one another three times in Madrid, with Nadal winning two of their three FedEx ATP Head2Head meetings here, including an epic 2009 semi-final that the Spaniard emerged victorious from after four hours and three minutes.

But Djokovic will hope to meet Nadal again, because that would mean he’d be in the final. The top seed has made just one quarter-final in his three tournaments since winning the Australian Open. If he turns it around and triumphs here, though, Djokovic will tie Nadal’s record of 33 ATP Masters 1000 titles.

“I haven’t been maybe playing my best in the last couple of months. But I’m slowly building and hopefully I can manifest my best tennis here,” the Serbian said.

Djokovic is a two-time titlist at the Caja Magica, and he owns a 24-8 at the ATP Masters 1000 tournament overall. He also has earned three Top 10 wins at the event.

“It is nice to be back in Madrid. I have had very good success and some good results here in the past. And I’m happy to be healthy playing Madrid because last year that wasn’t the case,” Djokovic said. “After surgery, I was on the way back and I still struggled a little bit with the elbow. This year’s quite different.”

This time last year, Djokovic was still recovering from the right elbow procedure he underwent after the Australian Open. But after losing his second-round match in Madrid and reaching the semi-finals in Rome, the Serbian made the final at seven of his season’s final nine tournaments.

Last year, Djokovic was still focused on his health. This year, as he celebrates his 250th week atop the ATP Rankings, he’ll be hoping to lift a third trophy.

“Conditions here are obviously different than any other clay-court event. The altitude affects the play. The ball flies through the air quite quickly and it’s not easy to control the ball,” Djokovic said. “The memories from the years when I won the tournament in 2011 and ’16, I’m trying to relive these memories again and get obviously confidence from starting off the season well in Australia.”

While Djokovic will not face him unless they meet in the final, it is also the final tournament of former World No. 3 David Ferrer’s career. The Serbian lost just two sets during his 2011 title run at the Caja Magica, and one of those came against Ferrer in the quarter-finals.

“I share tremendous respect for David as player and as a person as well. He’s someone that has earned that respect many times in his career. His fighting spirit, his devotion to the sport is unprecedented and in a way it’s sad to see him leave,” Djokovic said. “But I’ve talked with him the other day and he said he was preparing for this for a while and he’s ready. He has a family and obviously he’s ready for the next stage of his life. But he is always going to be welcome in our sport. And the doors will always be open for him.”

Djokovic begins his tournament on Tuesday against 2018 Next Gen ATP Finals qualifier Taylor Fritz, whom he defeated with the loss of just three games at this year’s Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters.

It was the moment Federico Coria had been waiting for his entire career. So when it finally arrived, the Argentine did not hold back with his celebration.

Coria’s emotions flowed over as he crossed the finish line at the St. Joseph’s/Candler Savannah Challenger on Sunday, securing his maiden ATP Challenger Tour title. At the age of 27 and after nine years as a professional, he finally had his moment in the spotlight.

But this victory wasn’t only special for the man from Rosario, Argentina. After all, tennis runs in his blood. With older brother Guillermo Coria, a former World No. 3 and one of the greatest players to ever hail from South America, watching from afar, ‘Fede’ had his own legion of supporters back home.

As a Paolo Lorenzi backhand return curled wide, he paid tribute to his mentor and idol, dropping to one knee and pointing to the sky. It was just like his older brother used to do in his Challenger days. Fede admitted that it was only fitting to acknowledge Guillermo after such a significant moment in his career.

“That celebration was for my brother, who is my idol. I grew up watching him and when he played Challengers he celebrated like that,” said Federico. “So, I wanted to dedicate this win to my brother, my idol. Because of him, I play tennis.”

Federico first appeared in a Challenger main draw in 2013, but was never able to put together a complete week and lift a trophy. That is, until now. Not only did he refuse to drop a set en route to his first final appearance, but he claimed his biggest scalp along the way: a third round victory over top seed and World No. 93 Tennys Sandgren.

In the championship, the Argentine withstood a stern test from Lorenzi, who was bidding for his 22nd Challenger title. He would save five of eight break chances to prevail 6-3, 4-6, 6-2 after two hours and 32 minutes.

“It feels amazing. I thought I played very aggressive. He has a lot of experience, but I played my game on my favourite surface. This is an incredibly important moment in my career. It was a physical match, but with the people cheering for me, I was able to win the title.

“I actually woke up early in the morning and couldn’t go back to sleep. I was feeling nervous. But I came out with a very aggressive plan. I didn’t want to lose a single point. In the end, it was a battle of nerves. I am really happy with my performance in my first final.”

Coria wasn’t the only player to carry the family torch on the U.S. clay. One week ago, Emilio Gomez, son of former World No. 4 and 1990 Roland Garros champ Andres Gomez, also earned his maiden Challenger crown. Also aged 27, Emilio took the title at the Tallahassee Tennis Challenger after reaching his first final just weeks prior in Monterrey, Mexico.

The first Challenger champion from Ecuador since Giovanni Lapentti in 2011, he broke into the Top 200 for the first time with his maiden triumph, peaking at No. 197. Coria, meanwhile, sits at a career-high No. 216, rising 50 spots after lifting the trophy in Savannah.