What Can We Expect from the Madrid Masters?
by Steve Ashfield | by Steve Ashfield
Can Anyone Stop an Alcaraz Hat-Trick of Wins in Madrid?
The Madrid Masters has been won by a Spanish player for the past two years. Not Rafael Nadal though but Carlos Alcaraz. Last year saw him beat Jan-Lennard Struff (who won the BMW Open at the weekend) to retain this Masters 1000 outdoor clay court tournament. Can he complete a hat-trick of wins in this tournament that runs from April 23 to May 5?
The world number three is the second seed this year behind Jannik Sinner. There's no Novak Djokovic this year as Alcaraz bids to become the first player to win this title three years in a row. He's not won a clay court tournament this year, his best result being a semi-final in Buenos Aires.
Injury has meant this is his first event on the European clay court season. He'll be at home in Madrid though and difficult to beat if staying fit. Follow all the scores on our Madrid Masters livescore.
Ruud in Top Form
Last Sunday saw Casper Ruud win the Barcelona Open. That came seven days after being the runner-up in the Monte Carlo Masters. In both finals he faced Stefanos Tsitsipas. Ruud is seeded fifth in Madrid and will hope to continue his current form.
He reached the semi-finals in Madrid three years ago but hasn't done well in the past two tournaments held here. He's never come into the tournament in the form he's in at present though. Ruud has already won 29 matches this year and is in the same half of the draw as Jannik Sinner. What a quarter-final that could be.
Stefanos Tsitsipas can't be ruled out either. He won the Monte Carlo Masters (for the third time in four years) this year and then lost that final to Ruud in Barcelona. He has a tough draw though with Daniil Medvedev a possible quarter-final opponent. In the last four he could have another match against Ruud or the top seed Jannik Sinner so will need to continue his excellent form. Check out all the Madrid Masters odds on this site throughout the tournament,
Sinner Aims to Get Back on Track
Jannik Sinner has earned more ranking points than any other player this year. Three titles have been won, including the Australian Open but all were hard court tournaments.
He's the top seed for the Madrid Masters and will hope to do better here than he has in the past. In two previous visits, the Italian has failed to get past the last 16. He has only won one clay court tournament (Croatia Open 2022) but reached the last four of this year's Monte Carlo Masters.
He will look to improve his clay court record in the coming weeks in the lead up to Roland Garros where he's only reached the last eight once. Sinner is in the tougher half of the draw though with Ruud, Medvedev and Tsitsipas all possible opponents.
Nadal on the Comeback Trail
Rafael Nadal is playing only his third tournament of the year. The Spanish legend has won this tournament more times than any other player. He's won five finals but his last victory was in 2017. This is likely to be his last appearance in the Madrid Masters.
Last week saw him play in Barcelona but lost in the second round to Alex de Minaur. This week he takes on wild card Darwin Blanch in round one and if winning that he'll face de Minaur (seeded 12th here) again.
His aim at present is to get as many matches under his belt as possible before Roland Garros. He's determined to play in the Grand Slam that he has dominated throughout his career. His days of winning titles look to be in the past but with Nadal on clay you never really know.
Others to consider in the Madrid Masters include Daniil Medvedev. He won in Rome last year and if rediscovering that kind of form could go well in this tournament. Jan-Lennard Struff lost in last year's Madrid final and was the victor in the BMW Open held in Munich last week. He's in the same half of the draw as Sinner and if continuing his good form, that'd be a fascinating match.
Andrey Rublev needs to recapture the forn he's shown in the past. Alexander Zverev has won this title twice but didn't do well in Munich last week. A fascinating tournament lies ahead of us. Our tennis experts will provide you with Madrid Masters predictions to help you with your bets.
Odds to win the Madrid Masters
- Carlos Alcaraz, odds of 2.8
- Jannik Sinner, odds of 3.4
- Stefanos Tsitsipas, odds of 9.00
- Alexander Zverev, odds of 13.00
- Casper Ruud, odds of 13.00
- Rafael Nadal, odds of 13.00
- Daniil Medvedev, odds of 15.00
- Holger Rune, odds of 17,00
Odds from Unibet
