The ATP Masters 1000 Mutua Madrid began on May first and will run for the first eight days. This tennis tournament has one of the best-known clay court surfaces in the world.
Being in Madrid, a large influx of the public is expected during the eight days of competition, especially when the Spanish Rafael Nadal, considered by many the best player in tennis history, takes the court.
The “Caja Mágica,” the name given to the central court, will see the action of important players such as Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray, Dominic Thiem, Bautista Agut, John Isner, Andrey Rublev, Tsipas Stefanos, Alexander Zverev, and the already named Nadal.
Both Nadal and Djokovic advanced to the second without playing a game by drawing. The tennis bet market dictates that these two players are the favorite to dispute the grand finale. Sadly, they wouldn’t compete against each other because they belong to the same bracket side.
When two players are on the same bracket side, they will face each other sooner in the tournament. In this case, Djokovic and Nadal may compete in the quarterfinals if neither of them loses their previous matches.
A tennis player aiming big
Usually, all the media’s attention focuses on two of the great tennis players in history, Djokovic and Nadal. Still, recently there’s been another athlete who is attracting attention.
The 18-year-old tennis player, Carlos Alcaraz, has been a surprise in recent ATP tournaments. Thanks to his incredible ability, he climbed more than 100 positions in the last 12 months in the ATP ranking. For this achievement, he’s been called a world tennis promise.
The irruption of this new jewel seems to be the perfect replacement for Rafa himself. The Murcian Alcaraz has powerful shots to send the ball from deep to the opposite line. But in turn, his wrist has the perfect delicacy for a spectacular drop.
Alcaraz benefited from the Mutua de Madrid draw, advancing to the round of 32 without having to play a match. However, to the sadness of many, he is on the same side of the bracket as Nadal and Djokovic.
Nadal, Alcaraz, and Djokovic debut at Mutua
Both Djokovic and Alcaraz, who trained together for the tournament, will start their participation on Tuesday. The Serbian will face the Frenchman Gael Monfils, who has beaten the Spanish Carlos Gimeno 6-3 and 6-0.
On the other hand, the young Spanish sensation will rival the Georgian Nikoloz Basilashvili, who surprisingly defeated Fabio Fognini in the first round in an even match, 7-5 and 6-4.
On the other hand, the matador Rafa Nadal will debut a day later, on Wednesday the 4th. The five-time champion of the tournament is still acclimatizing to the height of the Spanish capital.
Nadal will face the tennis player who wins the match between Miomir Kcmanovic and Alexander Bublik in a daytime session.
Alcaraz’s reachable achievement
Two weeks is the difference between the final of the Barcelona Open and the Mutua Madrid Open. This is one of the reasons why it is difficult to see a tennis player being the winner in both tournaments.
Since 2009, when the Mutua Madrid tournament changed its date and surface, only the tennis player who won in Barcelona could do the same in Madrid. Not other than Rafael Nadal.
Nothing is the only one who has achieved such a feat, even when possible. Rafa only did it twice in the eight times that the Spaniard had the opportunity to achieve it.
Carlos Alcaraz has the opportunity to achieve this goal. The young man from Murcia who has already managed to win the Godo trophy, adapting himself like a professional on clay, arrives in Madrid with the final in his sights.
His first tournament as a Top 10 ATP player will be in the “Caja Mágica.” He will have to go over the most experienced and high-ranking players to win the event. But this remarkable achievement is exceptional not only regarding its difficulty but because Alcaraz is in his native country.
However, Alcaraz will have to beat Nadal, who has just recovered from the event, and the huge Djokovic, who continues to be a threat.
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