The Madrid Masters draw ceremony was held on Saturday, officially confirming Roger Federer’s return to clay and Juan Martin Del Potro’s return to tennis.
Federer is playing on the slow stuff for the first time in almost exactly three years, having last competed this time of the season at the 2016 Rome Masters. The 37-year-old Swiss is on track to play the French Open for the first time since 2015. As for his upcoming Madrid campaign, he will begin against either veteran Frenchman Richard Gasquet or 19-year-old Spaniard Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.
“I feel now I can play pressure free, because what is there to lose? Nothing really,” Federer said in a recent interview with the New York Times. “I haven’t played on clay for three years so maybe for the first time in 15 years I can go to the French and be like, ‘Let’s just see what happens.’ And maybe that’s exactly what is going to make a beautiful result. And if it’s not, no problem. Then I have more time for the grass, and I still profited from a great buildup, and it made me strong physically, and it’s good for my game.”
Also in the top half of the bracket along with Federer and Novak Djokovic is Del Potro, who has contested just one event in 2019 (Delray Beach in February) because of a knee injury. The 30-year-old Argentine awaits a tough opener against either Rio de Janeiro champion Laslo Djere or Monte-Carlo finalist Dusan Lajovic. Del Potro could run into either Marin Cilic or Nick Kyrgios in the third round before possibly facing Djokovic in the quarterfinals.
Federer’s difficult path could include either Barcelona champion Dominic Thiem or surprise Monte-Carlo winner Fabio Fognini in the QFs.
Rafael Nadal’s bottom half of the draw is not quite as stacked, but that’s not to say it will automatically be a cakewalk for the world No. 2. He will get things started against the winner of a blockbuster first-round battle between good friends and fellow Canadians Denis Shapovalov and Felix Auger-Aliassime. Nadal’s most likely quarterfinal opponents are Kei Nishikori, Daniil Medvedev, and Stan Wawrinka. Alexander Zverev or Stefanos Tsitsipas could eventually collide with the Spaniard in the semis.
Other first-round matchups to watch are Fognini vs. Kyle Edmund, Medvedev vs. Guido Pella, Kyrgios vs. Jan-Lennard Struff, Borna Coric vs. Lucas Pouille, Marco Cecchinato vs. Diego Schwartzman, and Roberto Bautista Agut vs. David Ferrer.
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who ya got?
Tough predicting
Great draw….almost all the top men….will be a great week of tv tennis…..and FED!🎾🏆
just happy to c Delpo back in action hopefully he can stay healthy get some matches under his belt and be ready for the French open !! I’m taking Novak to win my second guess would be Dominic.
Fed has a tough draw, but I have a feeling he’ll be ok. Nice 1st round match-up with Gasquet (probably). Nadal avoided the biggest names in his half, but I still wouldn’t call his draw easy. FAA took out Shapo and will probably be a very tough 2nd round match-up.
Novak