Tennis

Carlos Alcaraz faces tricky path as he chases history in Madrid | ATP Tour


Madrid

History-chasing Alcaraz faces tricky path in Madrid, where Nadal opens against Blanch

Top seed Sinner starts against Sonego or qualifier

April 22, 2024

Carlos Alcaraz will compete on European clay for the first time this season in Madrid following injury.

Corinne Dubreuil/ATP Tour

Carlos Alcaraz will compete on European clay for the first time this season in Madrid following injury.
By ATP Staff

Carlos Alcaraz will try to make history at the Mutua Madrid Open this fortnight when he aims to become the first player to win three consecutive titles at the ATP Masters 1000 event. However, he is set to be tested in the Spanish capital, with Monday’s draw serving up a tricky path for the World No. 3.

Alcaraz is competing in his first European clay-court event of the season after missing Monte-Carlo and Barcelona due to a right arm injury. The 20-year-old will begin his title defence against Alexander Shevchenko or Arthur Rinderknech and could face Italian Lorenzo Musetti in the third round. Munich champion Jan-Lennard Struff, who lost to Alcaraz in the title match in Madrid last season, is a potential fourth-round opponent, with the German seeded to meet Dubai titlist Ugo Humbert in the third round.

If 2022 and 2023 Madrid champ Alcaraz can negotiate those tests, he might play 11th seed Holger Rune or seventh seed Andrey Rublev in the quarter-finals. Rune faces Bucharest finalist Mariano Navone or Australian Alexei Popyrin in his first match, while Rublev takes on Daniel Evans or a qualifier.

Record five-time champion Rafael Nadal continues his comeback in Madrid. The Spaniard, who reached the second round on his return to Tour last week in Barcelona, will play American wild card Darwin Blanch in the first round and will meet 10th seed Alex de Minaur if he advances. The 37-year-old’s last title triumph at the clay-court event came in 2017, when he beat Dominic Thiem in the final.

If they meet, Nadal will be aiming to avenge the defeat he suffered against De Minaur in Barcelona last week. The Spaniard leads the Australian 3-2 in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series.

Fourth seed Alexander Zverev is in the same half as Alcaraz. The German is a two-time Madrid champion and starts against Borna Coric or a qualifier. Hubert Hurkacz is seeded to meet Zverev in the quarter-finals. The Pole, who won his first clay-court title in Estoril earlier this month, could face #NextGenATP Frenchman Arthur Fils in the third round.