Tennis is evolving and it seems that there is more and more demand for top tournaments to be played over 2 weeks. As of now, with the exception of the slams, only the events in Indian Wells and Miami are played in 14 days. The Madrid Open will be the next one. the Mutua Madrid Open will take place from 27 April to 9 May in the fascinating Caja Mágica
The announcement
Feliciano Lopez, the tournament director, commented:
“We’re happy to have achieved the goal of becoming a two-week tournament. We sought this expansion and it is well-deserved, necessary and will allow us to enjoy the best tennis in the world at the Caja Mágica for a few more days. I’m sure that both our sponsors and all the fans will welcome this news with open arms, as well as the city of Madrid, which will receive more visitors for a longer period of time”.
Nadal, Djokovic, Thiem, Tsitsipas the favorites?
Probably the top favorites to win the tournament on the men’s side are Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Dominic Thiem and Stefanos Tsitsipas.
The ATP1000 in Madrid is the least favorable tournament on the dirt for Rafa as the event is played in altitude and the King of Clay cannot take full advantage of his shot-making. However, Nadal still needs to be considered as one of the top favorites.
While the event wasn’t played this year because of the pandemic, the defending champion and probably top favorite will be Novak Djokovic that conquered the title in 2019. Stefanos Tsitsipas was the runner 2 years ago and he will fancy his chances in Spain. Finally, Dominic Thiem will also be among the top favorites. The Austrian had a great 2020 after he won the US open and he reached 2 prestigious finals at the Australian Open and at the ATP Finals.
Rafael Nadal in 2020
Now the world no.2, Nadal played his last match on the 21st of November when he capitulated to Daniil Medvedev 3-6 7-64 6-3 in the semifinal in the Nitto ATP Finals.
At present, this year the Spaniard has a composed 27-7 win-loss record. Rafael clinched 2 titles in 2020 in Acapulco and at the French Open.
Novak Djokovic in 2020
Ranked no.1, the Serbian played his last match on the 21st of November when he was overcome by Dominic Thiem 7-5 6-710 7-65 in the semifinal in the Nitto ATP Finals.
This season Djokovic has a compiled 41-5 record. Novak clinched 4 titles in 2020 at the Australian Open, in Dubai, in New York and in Rome. Djokovic got to the final at the French Open.
Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic played each other 56 times. The head to head is 29-27 for Djokovic. The last time that they locked horns, Rafael Nadal won 6-0 6-2 7-5 in the final in Paris (French Open) on the 11th of October 2020.
In the following video you can watch the key moments of their match.
Dominic Thiem in 2020
Now the world no.3 (career-high), Dominic played his last encounter on the 22nd of November when he surrendered to Daniil Medvedev 4-6 7-62 6-4 in the final in the Nitto ATP Finals.
At present, this year Thiem has a 25-9 win-loss record. Thiem conquered 1 title at the U.S. Open. Thiem was the runner-up at the Australian Open and .
Stefanos Tsitsipas in 2020
Now ranked no.6, the Greek played his last match on the 19th of November when he surrendered to Rafael Nadal 6-4 4-6 6-2 in the round robin in the Nitto ATP Finals.
At present, this year the Greek has a 27-14 win-loss record. Tsitsipas conquered 1 title in Marseille. The Greek was the finalist in Dubai and in Hamburg.
Dominic Thiem and Stefanos Tsitsipas played each other 8 times. The head to head is 5-3 for Thiem. The last time that they played each other, Dominic Thiem won 7-65 4-6 6-3 in the round robin in London (Nitto ATP Finals) on the 15th of November 2020.
In the following video you can watch the highlights.
