It is nearly time for one of the highlights of the tennis calendar as the Madrid Open returns this week with its combined WTA and ATP 1000 events.
The clay-court tournament regularly attracts the biggest names from across the globe and in the men’s event, all eyes will be on Carlos Alcaraz.
The 20-year-old Spaniard is the two-time defending champion, having won the Madrid Open in 2022 and 2023, but he will face stiff competition in his bid for a hat-trick of titles.
Madrid Masters Tennis Tips
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Alcaraz is worth opposing
Alcaraz remains one of the most dangerous clay-court operators on the planet and is understandably considered the man to beat.
But the tournament second seed has not had a lot of time on the courts recently and this will be his first European clay-court tournament of 2024.
That is because an arm injury caused Alcaraz to miss both the Monte Carlo Masters and Barcelona Open.
The draw is also quite testing for Alcaraz, who could face Andrey Rublev or Holger Rune in the quarter-finals and last year’s runner-up Jan-Lennard Struff in the fourth round.
Tsitsipas can seize opportunity in Madrid
If Alcaraz is to be swerved then Jannik Sinner will appeal to many given his red-hot start to 2024 but Greek talent Stefanos Tsitsipas looks the better value selection.
Tsitsipas loves playing on the slower surface, having previously reached the final of the French Open, and he won the Monte-Carlo Masters earlier in April.
En route to the title, Tsitsipas became only the second player this season to take down Italian ace Sinner and he also made the final of the Barcelona Open last week.
He has won ten of his 11 contests on clay in 2024 and, having made the final five years ago, he looks a decent bet to win the Madrid Open.
Ruud ready to build on Barcelona triumph
Among Tsitsipas’s closest competitors could be the man he has faced in the finals of both the Barcelona Open and the Monte Carlo Masters, Casper Ruud.
Ruud was beaten by Tsitsipas in Monte Carlo but made amends with victory in the Barcelona final, claiming his maiden 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 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 to Alcaraz and that is another reason to support the Norwegian.
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