Roger Federer’s return to clay will become official when he takes the court against Richard Gasquet during second-round action in Madrid on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Novak Djokovic is kicking off his campaign against Taylor Fritz.
(4) Roger Federer vs. Richard Gasquet
Federer will be playing on clay for the first time since the 2016 Rome Masters when he entertains the Mutua Madrid Open crowd on Tuesday night. The 37-year-old, who has not played the French Open since 2015, plans to play this Masters 1000 event and this one only for Roland Garros preparation. Federer will want to get more than one match under his belt, and he should be able to do it given that he is 18-2 this season. The world No. 3 has reached three consecutive finals, triumphing in Dubai and Miami while falling to Dominic Thiem in Indian Wells.
A familiar foe in Gasquet is on tap for Federer, who leads the head-to-head series 17-2 but only 3-2 on clay. They have not squared off since the 2018 Australian Open and have not met on the red stuff since the 2014 Davis Cup final (won by the Swiss 6-4, 6-2, 6-2). Gasquet did extremely well just to get through the first round, as he had not yet played in 2019 due to surgery and went up against an in-form Alejandro Davidovich Fokina. The 32-year-old Frenchman got the job done 7-5, 7-6(5) and will likely treat this as nothing more than a somewhat unexpected bonus match. Gasquet should play loose and without pressure, but Federer will do the same and the discrepancy in current form and confidence will be obvious.
Pick: Federer in 2
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(1) Novak Djokovic vs. Taylor Fritz
A trio of up-and-coming Americans enjoyed productive days at the Madrid office during first-round action. Fritz was among them, advancing along with Frances Tiafoe and Reilly Opelka thanks to a 7-6(8), 7-6(4) victory over Grigor Dimitrov. The 21-year-old struck 15 aces compared to only one double-fault while seeing off Dimitrov in one hour and 47 minutes. Fritz is playing the entire clay-court swing, having already suited up in Monte-Carlo (third round), Barcelona (second round), and Estoril (first round).
The world No. 57’s success in Monte-Carlo came to an abrupt halt against none other than Djokovic, who dominated their first-ever meeting 6-3, 6-0. Djokovic, however, lost his next match to Daniil Medvedev and he is just 5-3 overall since winning the Australian Open. Still, the top-seeded Serb is a two-time champion of this tournament and he should once against waltz past Fritz in straight sets.
Pick: Djokovic in 2 losing 8-10 games
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I didn’t know that Fed had lost twice to Gasquet on clay. Still, it’s hard to see him losing even a set in these circumstances. I thought Gasquet looked ok against ADF, but this will be a big step up. Fed in 2.
Not sure what to make of Djokovic right now, and Fritz could present some problems for him on this surface. Plus, Novak seems to be starting slowly these days. I’d say Taylor gets a set. Nole in 3.
Fed in 2.