Madrid Masters preview and predictions

In some ways, the Mutua Madrid Open is more intriguing from start to finish than the preceding three Masters 1000 tournaments on the annual calendar. Indian Wells and Miami feature much larger playing fields with 32 seeded players getting first-round byes, so some of the opening matches leave a little bit to be desired. Monte-Carlo isn’t a required event, so its field is never as strong.

The Madrid Masters, however, offers a smorgasbord of riches right from the proverbial opening tip. A star-studded field is once again on hand at the Caja Magica and it is wasting no time being put on display. In fact, among those who already played on Sunday were Felix Auger-Aliassime, Denis Shapovalov, and Nick Kyrgios. Some of the seeds kick off their campaigns on Monday, while Roger Federer gets started on Tuesday.

Federer’s date with either Richard Gasquet or Alejandro Davidovich Fokina will mark his first clay-court match since the 2016 Rome Masters .

“I have not-high expectations in some ways, but at the same time I also know that things are possible,” the 37-year-old Swiss said. “Madrid always plays fast with the altitude here, so intrigued to find out myself. But [practice has] been good so far.“I’m happy also that the decision I took last…December, when I started feeling like I definitely want to do the clay, that it was the right decision. I haven’t looked back at the clay-court build-up yet, or everything that I have been doing, like maybe I shouldn’t have. I’m happy I’m here and I’m happy I’m on the surface.”

Federer finds himself in a difficult top half of the bracket along with Novak Djokovic and Dominic Thiem. He could run into Thiem in the quarterfinals and Djokovic in the semis.

Juan Martin Del Potro is also in the top half, on course to meet Djokovic in the last eight. Of course, the oft-injured Argentine would do extremely well to make it that far in what is just his second appearance of the season. Del Potro returned from a knee issue to play in Delray Beach, but it showed that he was not ready.

“I think that right now I’m in a good situation and emotionally I’m feeling pretty well and I think that the negative things…you have to leave them aside and right now,” the 2009 U.S. Open champion explained. “I’m trying to focus on the positive things. It’s a good thing to be here and I’m thinking just to move forward and with all the experience that I have, try to do the things properly, try to do it once again, try to face the problems and just be back and do my best.”

“I always like to play in Madrid. I always feel comfortable. I have had good results in the past. Conditions here are quite good for me. The tournament is incredible, I feel the support of the people. It’s amazing here. I love it in this city. And overall, this tournament is one of the best ones in the world. All the players will feel really comfortable here with the city, the food, everything. It is an overall experience that makes it a really high level tournament.”

Rafael Nadal may be playing in front of a Spanish crowd, but the conditions are not ideal for him. The second seed has never been as dominant at this tournament as he has been in Monte-Carlo, Barcelona, Rome, and at the French Open.

Nadal is on a collision course with Kei Nishikori for the quarterfinals. Other contenders in the bottom half of the draw are Alexander Zverev, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Borna Coric, and Danill Medvedev. Nadal awaits Auger-Aliassime in his opening match after the teenager won an all-Canadian contest against Denis Shapovalov.

Quarterfinal picks: Novak Djokovic over Jan-Lennard Struff, Dominic Thiem over Roger Federer, Borna Coric over Jaume Munar, and Kei Nishikori over Rafael Nadal

Semifinals: Thiem over Djokovic and Nishikori over Coric

Final: Thiem over Nishikori

[polldaddy poll=10310742]
[polldaddy poll=10311592]