The clay-court season rolls into the Caja Magica, where the world’s biggest stars will compete for an ATP Masters 1000 title at the Mutua Madrid Open.

Five-time titlist Rafael Nadal leads the way as he pursues a record-tying 37th Masters 1000 crown, while World No. 1 Novak Djokovic tops the draw. All eyes will also be on the rapidly rising Spanish star Carlos Alcaraz, who will try to make a deep run in front of his home fans.

ATPTour.com looks at 10 things to watch in Madrid.

VIEW DRAWS: SINGLES | DOUBLES

1) Rafa Returns: Nadal will chase his sixth title this week in Madrid, where he owns a 54-13 record. The lefty has not competed since Indian Wells due to a stress fracture in one of his ribs, so he will be keen to make a quick start to his clay-court season.

Before the injury, Nadal was the hottest player on the ATP Tour. The Spaniard has won 20 of his 21 matches this year, including a run to his record 21st major trophy at the Australian Open. Nadal’s most recent title at the Caja Magica came in 2017, and last year he reached the quarter-finals. He could face a stern test in his opener against in-form Serbian Miomir Kecmanovic or Kazakhstani Alexander Bublik.

2) Novak Rounding Into Form: Djokovic made a slow start to his clay-court season with an opening loss in Monte Carlo. However, the Serbian rounded into form on home soil at the Serbia Open in Belgrade, where he won three three-setters before falling in a deciding set in the final against Andrey Rublev.

The three-time Madrid titlist will try to carry that level to the Caja Magica, where he will begin his run against Frenchman Gael Monfils or wild card Carlos Gimeno Valero. If Djokovic faces Monfils, he will take a 17-0 lead in their ATP Head2Head series into that matchup.

3) Alcaraz Rising: Nobody has created more hype this season than Alcaraz, who last Monday cracked the Top 10 of the ATP Rankings for the first time at World No. 9. The 18-year-old — who turns 19 on 5 May — has received plenty of attention, including a recent appearance on famous Spanish talkshow El Hormiguero.

But the teen, who claimed his maiden Masters 1000 title in Miami, will be focussed on the task at hand, which is making a deep run in front of his home fans. Alcaraz will play Georgian Nikoloz Basilashvili or Italian Fabio Fognini in the second round, with a blockbuster showdown potentially looming against Nadal in the quarter-finals if they both advance that far. The #NextGenATP star made his debut at the Caja Magica last year, when he defeated Frenchman Adrian Mannarino before losing to Nadal in straight sets.

4) Tsitsipas Flying High: Stefanos Tsitsipas will bring plenty of confidence to the season’s second clay-court Masters 1000 event after lifting the trophy at the first in Monte Carlo. The Greek star has also played well in Madrid before, having made the final in 2019 with three-set wins against Alexander Zverev and Nadal before losing to Djokovic. The 23-year-old will have to be sharp from his first match, which will come against one of two former Top 10 players in Karen Khachanov or Lucas Pouille.

5) Zverev Two-Time Champ: Zverev is a two-time champion at the Mutua Madrid Open, where his booming serve and comfort at the back of the court have combined for good results in the past. The German earned three consecutive Top 10 victories en route to the title last year, including a straight-sets triumph against Nadal in the quarter-finals. This edition he is the second seed and will begin his tournament against 2017 Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters finalist Albert Ramos-Vinolas or former World No. 3 Marin Cilic.

6) Murray-Thiem Blockbuster: When the draw came out, one first-round match in particular stood out: a tantalising encounter between former World No. 1 Andy Murray and former World No. 3 Dominic Thiem. This will be the pair’s fifth ATP Head2Head clash, with each man winning two of their previous meetings.

Murray is a two-time Mutua Madrid Open champion, triumphing in 2008 (on hard) and 2015 (on clay). He last competed at the Caja Magica in 2017 and had planned to skip the clay-court season this year before taking a wild card into the event. Thiem made the Madrid final in 2017 and 2018, and is continuing his comeback from a wrist injury that kept him out for eight months.

7) Spaniards To Watch: All eyes will be on Nadal and Alcaraz, but there are other Spaniards to watch in Madrid. Alejandro Davidovich Fokina advanced to his first Masters 1000 final, while Pablo Carreno Busta and 2014 semi-finalist Roberto Bautista Agut are seeded 16th and 17th, respectively. Ramos-Vinolas, a four-time ATP Tour titlist, is always dangerous on clay and could play Zverev in the second round.

8) Dangerous On Clay: While they might not be at the very top of the favourites’ list in Madrid, Casper Ruud and Andrey Rublev, the fifth and sixth seeds, respectively, are dangerous players on clay. Ruud made the semi-finals at last year’s Nitto ATP Finals on a hard court, but he made his ascent off the back of impressive clay-court play. The Norwegian has claimed six of his seven ATP Tour titles on the surface, including a victory earlier this year in Buenos Aires. Ruud opens against Croatian Borna Coric or a qualifier.

Unlike Ruud, Rublev is known for his hard-court play with his booming groundstrokes, especially his forehand. But his game has translated well to clay, on which he has earned three titles, including one last week in Belgrade, where he upset Djokovic in the final. The second seed, who is making his second appearance in Madrid, will face Italian Lorenzo Sonego or British wild card Jack Draper in the second round.

9) Granollers/Zeballos Defending Champions: Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos are the defending champions in Madrid, but they will have to battle through a tough field if they are to retain their crown. The top seeds are Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury, the recent Monte Carlo winners who have lifted two Masters 1000 trophies and two major crowns together.

10) Top 10 Singles Stars Playing Doubles: The singles stars are plentiful in the doubles draw, with five of the Top 10 players in the ATP Rankings competing. Alcaraz is playing with Marc Lopez, Tsitsipas with his brother Petros Tsitsipas, Zverev alongside Marcelo Melo, Rublev is partnering Karen Khachanov and Felix Auger-Aliassime is competing with 2017 Nitto ATP Finals champion Grigor Dimitrov.

All eyes will be on #NextGenATP Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz when he takes to court with countryman Marc Lopez on home soil on Day 1 of the Mutua Madrid Open.

The 18-year-old captured his maiden ATP Masters 1000 crown in Miami and cracked the Top 10 in the ATP Rankings on Monday following his title run in Barcelona. Alcaraz will be aiming to break more singles records at the clay-court event this week, but before that, he will turn his attention to doubles action in the Spanish capital Sunday.

Alcaraz and Lopez have accepted a wild card into the event and will face Lukasz Kubot and Edouard Roger-Vasselin in their opening match on Manolo Santana Stadium in front of an excitable home crowd.

Alcaraz, who is third in the ATP Race To Turin, will be teaming with Lopez for the first time, with his only previous doubles experience on the ATP Tour coming with Pablo Carreno Busta at events in Barcelona, Indian Wells and Rio de Janeiro.

View Schedule | View Singles Draw | View Doubles Draw

Alongside the doubles action, #NextGenATP Briton Jack Draper will make his Madrid debut in the singles draw against Lorenzo Sonego after receiving a wild card from the tournament. The 20-year-old has enjoyed a standout start to the season, clinching four ATP Challenger Tour titles and also earning his first Masters 1000 victory in Miami.

The World No. 124 will be meeting Sonego for the first time, with the Italian looking to recapture his best clay-court form having won a title on the surface in Cagliari in 2021. The World No. 27 is also playing in the Spanish capital for the first time.

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In a busy day for Brits, Daniel Evans will take a 1-0 ATP Head2Head series lead into his match against Argentine Federico Delbonis on Stadium 3. The 31-year-old, who lost to eventual champion Alexander Zverev in the third round in Madrid last year, upset World No. 1 Novak Djokovic on the red dirt in Monte Carlo in 2021. Delbonis’ best result this season was a run to the semi-finals on clay in Buenos Aires in February.

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John Isner and Filip Krajinovic will round out the singles action, with the pair meeting on Manolo Santana Stadium. Isner and Serb Krajinovic are tied at 1-1 in their ATP Head2Head series, with the American winning their only clay-court meeting at Roland Garros in 2021.

Isner has reached the quarter-finals in his past three appearances in Madrid. Meanwhile, Krajinovic lost in the first round on debut last season.

Botic van de Zandschulp recovered from a disappointing opening set to defeat Miomir Kecmanovic and clinch a spot in his maiden ATP Tour final at the BMW Open by American Express in Munich on Saturday.

The eighth seed was impressive in dealing with damp conditions and a consistently high level from his in-form opponent as he clinched a 2-6, 7-6(4), 6-4 semi-final victory to reach the championship match on debut at the ATP 250 event.

“I’m pretty tired,” said van de Zandschulp after prevailing in a two-hour, 52-minute encounter. “It was a long match, tough conditions, the court was so heavy, so I’m happy I made it through. It didn’t look like [I would] after the first set, so I’m really happy with the win.”

Although van de Zandschulp struggled at times for consistency, the Dutchman was delighted with how he had coped with the wet conditions that meant the centre court at the Iphitos Tennis Club played differently to during his quarter-final win over second seed Casper Ruud.

“I had to adjust a little bit,” said van de Zandschulp. “It was slower than yesterday, a lot heavier than yesterday, and he did better than me in the first. Second set I started to play better, smarter, and I’m happy I won 6-4 in the third.”

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Kecmanovic started with all the confidence of a player who has won 22 tour-level matches in 2022. He broke van de Zandschulp three times on his way to the first set, as the Dutchman struggled to replicate the level that earned him a third Top 10 win over World No. 7 Ruud on Friday.

Van de Zandschulp found his feet but still needed a second-set tie-break to level the match despite twice having broken to forge ahead. The momentum appeared to be with the World No. 40, who broke early in the decider to carve out a 3-1 lead. Despite being immediately broken back again by a stubborn Kecmanovic, it was van de Zandschulp who secured another decisive break in the tenth game of the set, converting his second match point after Kecmanovic pushed a volley wide.

The win brings van de Zandschulp level at 1-1 in the pair’s ATP Head2Head series, with Kecmanovic having triumphed in the previous meeting between the two at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells in March. Awaiting the Dutchman in Sunday’s final will be home favourite Oscar Otte or #NextGenATP Dane Holger Rune.

Reigning Mutua Madrid Open champions Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos may have to overcome a host of top singles stars if they are to triumph once again at the ATP Masters 1000 event in Madrid.

In the bottom half of the draw, the second seeds will face wild cards Pablo Carreno Busta and Pedro Martinez or Rohan Bopanna and Denis Shapovalov in their opening match and are on a collision course to meet Rotterdam champ Felix Auger-Aliassime and Monte Carlo semi-finalist Grigor Dimitrov in the third round.

The Canadian-Bulgarian team opens against Diego Schwartzman and Maximo Gonzalez and might have to overcome fifth seeds Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah in the second round. The Colombians begin against Raven Klaasen and Ben McLachlan.

View Doubles Draw

Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury arrive in Madrid high in confidence after clinching their second Masters 1000 crown as a team in Monte Carlo. The top seeds will meet Germans Kevin Krawietz and Andreas Mies or Marcelo Arevalo and Jean-Julien Rojer in their first match.

Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut are seeded to face Ram and Salisbury in the semi-finals, with the Frenchmen aiming to win their eighth Masters 1000 title together.

#NextGenATP Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz will team with countryman Marc Lopez, while World No. 5 Stefanos Tsitsipas will join forces with brother Petros Tsitsipas. Alcaraz and Lopez start against Lukasz Kubot and Edouard Roger-Vasselin, with the Greeks facing eighth seeds Jamie Murray and Michael Venus.

Third seeds Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic reached the final in Madrid last season. The Croatians are in the bottom half and will play Andrey Golubev and Santiago Gonzalez or Simone Bolelli and Ivan Dodig in their opening match.

Hubert Hurkacz and John Isner will also provide a threat having dropped just one set en route to the title in Miami at the start of April. The pair will take on Ariel Behar and Gonzalo Escobar in the first round.

#NextGenATP Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz will be aiming to lift his fourth tour-level trophy of the season when he competes on home soil at the Mutua Madrid Open this week.

However, before turning his attention to match action at the ATP Masters 1000 event, the World No. 9 joined two-time Madrid titlist Andy Murray and WTA stars Paula Badosa and Simona Halep at the Palacio de Cibeles Friday, where the foursome hit balls and entertained with flashy shotmaking.

“The people of the sport always come out and support the tournament really well and they are very knowledgeable about the game. I am thankful for the opportunity Feliciano [Lopez] and his team gave me to come here and compete again,” wild card Murray said when looking ahead to the event. “I had a nice crowd for my practice and I love coming back to play in Spain.”

^{Photo Credit: ANGEL MARTINEZ / MMO}

The event was based in the Crystal Gallery of the Palacio de Cibeles and was hosted by tournament director Feliciano Lopez and the Mayor of Madrid Jose Luis Martinez-Almeida.

Alcaraz and Murray teamed against Badosa and Halep in an entertaining mini-match to help celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Mutua Madrid Open.

Former WTA Singles World No. 1 Halep, who won the title in Madrid in 2016 and 2017, is preparing to make her 11th appearance at the clay-court tournament this week.

“It is a big tournament and the organisation is always great,” Halep said. “I am really happy that I have been able to lift this trophy twice and compete with top players. It will always be a special place to come.”

Murray will be competing in his first tour-level event since he reached the second round in Miami in March and opens against Dominic Thiem, while Alcaraz arrives off the back of triumphing on the clay in Barcelona earlier in April. The Spaniard could face countryman Rafael Nadal in the quarter-finals.

^{Photo Credit: ANGEL MARTINEZ / MMO}

Wild cards Nuno Borges and Francisco Cabral are just two wins from becoming the first Portuguese team to win the Millennium Estoril Open doubles title.

Borges and Cabral defeated Americans Nathaniel Lammons and Tommy Paul 6-3, 6-7(2), 10-6 on Friday to reach the last four in front of their home fans. It is the second Match Tie-break they have won this week. In the first round, they upset third seeds Ivan Dodig and Austin Krajicek 6-4, 3-6, 10-5.

It won’t get any easier for the Portuguese, who will next play top seeds Jamie Murray and Michael Venus. The British-Kiwi duo eliminated Aleksandr Nedovyesov and Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi 6-4, 6-4.

Murray and Venus are not full-time doubles partners — Murray typically competes with Bruno Soares and Venus with Tim Puetz. But they have performed well on their team debut to make the semi-finals.

Matos/Vega Hernandez Reach Munich Final
Brazilian Rafael Matos and Spaniard David Vega Hernandez reached the BMW Open by American Express final on Friday when they clawed past Kazakhstani Andrey Golubev and Frenchman Fabrice Martin 7-6(1), 7-6(2).

The other Munich doubles semi-final will be played on Saturday between third seeds Kevin Krawietz and Andreas Mies and Briton Lloyd Glasspool and Finland’s Harri Heliovaara. Two-time Roland Garros champions Krawietz and Mies are in good form, winning last week’s Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell.

Kristijan Schneider, the former coach of Borna Coric, recently passed away aged 41 after battling abdominal cancer.

A group of coaches gathered to write a letter to ‘Kiki’ to commemorate his life and impact on the world of tennis.

* * * * *

Dear Kiki,

How painful it was for us (your family, your friends and the world of tennis) to learn that you left us despite all the hard efforts and all the difficult times you endured to overcome your illness…

We have tried to give you all our love and energy to make your fight more bearable…

and you deserved another end…

We hope that where you are now you can have some peace and comfort…

One of your wishes was to be able to feel that the world of tennis would not forget you, so we will try to honor your memory and count you among us every day of our daily coaching on the circuit that you loved so much…

We will miss you,

Rest in Peace, Kristijan…

All of us coaches are involved in one way or another to help you during your tough moments.

 

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This feature first appeared in the ATP Tour Insider, a magazine-style monthly newsletter providing an inside look and best content from the past month. 📧 Subscribe now for early access and exclusives from the ATP Tour.   

Denis Shapovalov, Felix Auger-Aliassime and Alejandro Davidovich Fokina were just some of the players spotted on Court 1 at the 2019 Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell to watch Carlos Alcaraz play his first qualifying match at an ATP Tour event. At the time, David Ferrer already knew the 15-year-old boy, even before he had started working under his friend Juan Carlos Ferrero.

The meeting between Ferrer and Alcaraz came at the Javea Tennis Club, when the Murcia native was 14. Albert Molina, the young talent’s agent and friend of the former World No. 3 arranged the encounter.

—”Hey, Ferru, tomorrow a kid’s coming from Murcia.”

—”Ah, great.”

—”He’s 14.”

—”14?”

—”Yup, let me know what you think.”

Not only did they enjoy some rallies on the hard court of the Alicante club, they also played a tie-break. “If he didn’t beat me, he was very close,” remembered Ferrer in a conversation for the ATP Tour Insider newsletter. “It was surprising to see his ball speed, but above all that I couldn’t hurt him with my flat ball. He used his hands very well and I could see that he was very fast. For that age he had very good footwork and it was very difficult to hit a winner against him.”

This was Alcaraz’s introduction to a player who had spent practically the entirety of the previous decade in the Top 10. On top of his innate ability with a racquet in his hand, Ferrer also sensed a special talent in a boy who was shy as well as daring. He was a fearless player, but also very respectful.

“I’m not saying it to look clever, but right then I saw something special in him, something different to any other player,” said the 27-time tour-level winner. “I’ve trained with a lot of young boys. But when a 14-year-old copes with your tempo like that and you can see his desire to beat you in a tie-break – while always being respectful – it’s because he has something special.”

In a way, Rafael Nadal’s name inevitably comes up in the conversation, although Ferrer is reluctant to draw parallels. “I see similar things in terms of the premature capacity to learn and the ambition,” he said of two players who managed to win ATP Masters 1000s at 18.

“That maturity in someone so young is not normal,” he continued. “Nor is the way he handles pressure, playing in big stadiums, playing a Masters 1000 and not shying away from it. Normally there would be some stage fright, but neither he nor Rafa has had that. They’re different.”

After heaping praise on the recent Miami champion, Ferrer was keen to make a clarification. “But I don’t like comparing them, because what Rafa has done is huge. He’s a legend of tennis, the best player in history,” Ferrer said. “Comparing them would be a big burden for Carlos. He will be a player who has a chance to be the No. 1 in the world. He will have a lot of chances to win Grand Slams, but he has his whole career ahead of him.”

What we do know is that there is new hope on the horizon for Spanish tennis. After the retirement of players like Ferrer, there was a need for players to break through and aspire for the ATP Tour elite and the biggest titles.

“He’s not replacing me, because Carlos Alcaraz will be better than David Ferrer,” the current director of the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell was quick to point out. This year Ferrer welcomed his young countryman to his tournament as the fifth seed and World No. 11. Alcaraz won the title.

“Nobody can overshadow Rafa because of everything he has been and continues to be, because he’s the No. 1 in the Race [ATP Race to Turin]. The good thing is that we can enjoy both of them. It’s not that one is arriving when the other is leaving, one is the No. 1 and the other is the No. 2 in the Race.”

Spanish tennis has opened the door to another great champion of the future, who already has an astonishing present.

Expectations are soaring for Carlos Alcaraz on the ATP Tour. The Spanish #NextGenATP player is counting down the hours to his participation in the Mutua Madrid Open, where he will enjoy the unanimous support of the fans. It will be the first time the Murcia native competes in his country as a member of the world’s Top 10 and all eyes will be on him.

Before taking to the clay of the Caja Mágica, Alcaraz made an appearance on El Hormiguero, one of the most popular television programmes in Spain, for some fun and to help his legions of fans get to know him better. It is a level of fame Juan Carlos Ferrero’s pupil will have to grow accustomed to as his career progresses.

“I handle it quite well. I tell everyone I don’t consider myself to be famous. When I get recognised, I take it in stride,” Alcaraz said on El Hormiguero. The World No. 9 is a player who goes about his business quietly, but is already starting to draw huge crowds every time he appears at the Caja Mágica.

The Spaniard is enjoying a spectacular year. Having become the youngest champion of an ATP 500 tournament (Rio de Janeiro) and of the ATP Masters 1000 in Miami, last week he confirmed his arrival by lifting the title in Barcelona. These achievements have helped him into third place in the ATP Race To Turin and made him one of the sport’s most recognisable young faces. It is a dizzying reality that his team members are handling with kid gloves.

“The team is there to tell me about the bad things and although it frustrates me, it’s better for me,” said Alcaraz, who has been under the watchful eye of former world No. 1 Ferrero since he was 15. “At first it was tough. I was very difficult. Juan Carlos had a tough time, because I was really disorganised. And I still am, just a bit less! I didn’t control my emotions well and I didn’t have my head straight.”

His professional success has done nothing to change the fact that he is just an 18-year-old who has a special talent for his sport. Alcaraz is a man who lives and breathes tennis, but continues to be a boy in his family home.

“Of course, my parents look after the money. To buy myself golf clubs, which I love, I don’t ask them for permission, but I do for a good car. I’m still fighting against it. My father is tougher and my mother less so, so for going out and things like that I tell my mother,” Alcaraz said. “I don’t have to be back at a certain time exactly, but they always say ‘Don’t be back late’. As hard as I try not to make any noise when I get home, I always wake them up and they catch me.”

With a 23-3 record this year, most of Alcaraz’s peers are unable to keep pace with him.

“A lot of the time I say ‘Charlie’ — because I call myself Charlie — ‘Produce some magic and try and finish in style. Produce some magic and try and finish in style!’.”

So far, there is no doubt that Alcaraz is doing just that.

The Mutua Madrid Open draw is intriguing to say the least, full of many interesting first-round clashes, with the fifth meeting between Andy Murray and Dominic Thiem leading the way. There are also plenty of potentially gripping second-round showdowns, including the possibility of an 18th ATP Head2Head clash between Novak Djokovic and Gael Monfils.

ATPTour.com looks at five matches to watch at the Caja Magica.

Andy Murray vs. Dominic Thiem
It is not often two ATP Masters 1000 titlists meet in the first round at this level, but that is what the fans will get when Murray and Thiem clash for the fifth time.

The stars have split their previous four meetings, with their most recent match coming in Beijing in 2017. Their only clay-court battle came in a three-setter won by Thiem in Barcelona in 2017. Both men are comfortable in Madrid, with Murray a two-time champion and Thiem having advanced to at least the semi-finals in his past four appearances.

But both players are also on the comeback trail. Murray is still working his way back to his best form following 2019 hip surgery, while Thiem returned one month ago from a wrist injury that forced him to miss eight months. This tantalising encounter provides an opportunity for one of them to earn a confidence-boosting win.

(11) Taylor Fritz vs. Jenson Brooksby
Jenson Brooksby is one of the fastest-rising prospects on the ATP Tour, but no American is in better form than Taylor Fritz. The 24-year-old claimed his first Masters 1000 title a month ago in Indian Wells at the BNP Paribas Open and is making a push to crack the Top 10 of the ATP Rankings.

Fritz is far from a hard-court specialist, though. The big-serving, forehand-crunching right-hander from California has made back-to-back quarter-finals on clay in Houston and Monte Carlo. In Monaco, only eventual finalist Alejandro Davidovich Fokina was able to stop him in three sets.

Brooksby won the pair’s only previous ATP Head2Head clash at last year’s US Open. That encounter was a gruelling four-setter that lasted four hours and six minutes. Will the 21-year-old be able to use his defensive baseline skills to neutralise the ever-improving Fritz’s offence?

(10) Jannik Sinner vs. Tommy Paul
The first battle between 10th seed Jannik Sinner and American Tommy Paul could turn into an interesting tactical match.

Sinner has been playing well, advancing to consecutive Masters 1000 quarter-finals in Miami and Monte Carlo, while Paul is a former Roland Garros boys’ singles champion.

The American, currently one spot off his career-high at World No. 34, is one of the quickest players on Tour. Last year, he pushed Rublev in a tight three-setter at the Caja Magica. If he is able to use his speed, withstand Sinner’s aggression and run around to hit powerful forehands of his own, it could turn into a thriller.

Potential Second-Round Matches

(1) Novak Djokovic vs. Gael Monfils
While nobody beats Vitas Gerulaitis 17 times in a row, Djokovic has claimed all 17 of his matches against Monfils. If the Frenchman eliminates Spanish wild card Carlos Gimeno Valero, he will get an 18th chance at defeating Djokovic. This might be his best opportunity yet.

Djokovic has not had an easy start to his clay-court season. The Serbian lost his opener in Monte Carlo against Davidovich Fokina and then needed three sets in every match he played on home soil in Belgrade to make the final, in which he lost to Rublev. Monfils will certainly make him work hard in Madrid.

Although Djokovic has won all 17 of their meetings, only one of them came on clay, and that was 16 years ago at Roland Garros. That could add an interesting wrinkle to their potential match.

(3) Rafael Nadal vs. Miomir Kecmanovic
Nadal suffered a stress fracture in one of his ribs at Indian Wells, so his opening match in Madrid will be his first action of the clay-court season. If Miomir Kecmanovic advances past Kazakhstani Alexander Bublik, he could present a tough challenge for the Spaniard.

Kecmanovic has enjoyed the best season of his career, entering the week at 19th in the ATP Race To Turin. The Serbian, who is into the semi-finals in Munich, has shown great consistency this year to tally a 22-8 record. A quarter-finalist in Indian Wells and Miami, he will be confident if he steps on court against Nadal, who won their only previous match 6-2, 7-5 in Acapulco two years ago.

But even if this is the third seed’s first clay-court match of the year, he has plenty of experience on which to rely. The five-time Madrid titlist has earned 54 wins at the event and will chase his 37th Masters 1000 crown.