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  • Who does Emma Raducanu face in Madrid Open Round 2? Former rival Marta Kostyuk

    Emma Raducanu is safely through her opening-round match at the Madrid Open.

    The Brit did not find things easy at times against Dutch star Suzan Lamens, though she was clinical enough to seal a confident 7-6(4), 6-4 victory over the world No 73.

    Victory for Raducanu is a major boost for the Brit, not only winning her first match of the season on clay but also bettering a drab round-one exit from the tournament 12 months ago.

    However, things will not get any easier next for the former US Open champion, with 24th seed Marta Kostyuk waiting in round two.

    As a seeded player, Kostyuk received a bye into the second round and, while she has had a bumpy 2025 season to date, should not be underestimated.

    Here is all you need to know about Raducanu’s Round 2 opponent in the Spanish capital.

    Career highlights

    The standout result of Kostyuk’s career to date came at the 2023 ATX Open, claiming what has so far proven to be the only WTA title of her career.

    Kostyuk stunned fourth seed and home favourite Danielle Collins in the semi-final, before defeating Varvara Gracheva 6-3, 7-5 to lift the title.

    A strong start to the 2024 season saw the Ukrainian reach two further finals – both at WTA 500 level.

    The 22-year-old reached her second career final at the San Diego Open in March 2024, falling to Katie Boulter, before she was beaten by Elena Rybakina in the WTA Stuttgart Open final that April.

    A junior Australian Open champion back in 2017, Kostyuk reached her first Grand Slam singles quarter-final in Melbourne in 2024.

    Unseeded, Kostyuk beat the likes of 25th seed Elise Mertens on her way to the last eight, where she was beaten in three tight sets by Coco Gauff.

    However, she would beat the American in Stuttgart later that year and also defeated Gauff at the 2025 Qatar Open, recording nine career top-10 wins to date.

    She reached the quarter-final in Qatar this year, though the best WTA 1000 run of her career came at Indian Wells in 2024, reaching the semi-final.

    Kostyuk reached her career-high of world No 16 in June 2024.

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    2025 so far

    2025 has been a challenging season for the 22-year-old so far, with the Ukrainian having fallen to world No 36 in the WTA Rankings.

    Kostyuk dropped 11 spots in this week’s update after failing to defend her Stuttgart runner-up points from 2024, withdrawing from the event after representing Ukraine in the Billie Jean King Cup.

    She was also dealt a blow by the cancellation of the San Diego Open, meaning she was unable to defend her finalist points there.

    The Ukrainian was beaten in the third round of the Australian Open by Paula Badosa and the fourth round of Indian Wells by Zheng Qinwen, ultimately dropping points at both tournaments.

    Overall, Kostyuk has produced a solid-yet-unspectacular 11-9 record for 2025 ahead of the Madrid Open.

    The Madrid Open has historically not been her strongest event, with a 1-5 record to her name coming into the tournament this fortnight.

    Head-to-head

    Kostyuk and Raducanu have met twice before, though this will be their first meeting in three years.

    The pair first met in Cluj-Napoca back in October 2021, in what was just Raducanu’s second tournament following her US Open triumph that September.

    Ultimately, it proved to be rather a chastening experience for the Brit, with Kostyuk storming towards a 6-2, 6-1 victory.

    However, the tables turned when they met for a second time just months later – at the Madrid Open.

    On that occasion, it was Raducanu who cruised to victory, beating the Ukrainian 6-2, 6-1 – the same scoreline in which she had lost to Kostyuk in their first meeting.

    Read Next: The 4 women to win multiple Madrid Open titles: ft. Aryna Sabalenka, Serena Williams, Petra Kvitova

    The post Who does Emma Raducanu face in Madrid Open Round 2? Former rival Marta Kostyuk appeared first on Tennis365.

  • Emma Raducanu ends three-year clay drought at Madrid Open as encouraging stats emerge

    Emma Raducanu kicked off her clay-court season in impressive fashion as she defeated Suzan Lamens in the opening round of the 2025 Madrid Open.

    The 2021 US Open winner prevailed 7-6(4), 6-4 against her 25-year-old Dutch opponent in just under two hours.

    Raducanu fought back from a break down in each set to survive a stern test from Lamens, who is ranked 73rd in the world.

    It was Raducanu’s first match since her excellent run at the Miami Open ended with a quarter-final defeat to Jessica Pegula just under a month ago.

    Prior to Madrid, Raducanu chose to delay the start of her clay campaign as she withdrew from Great Britain’s Billie Jean King Cup qualifying ties in the Netherlands and the WTA 250 tournament in Rouen.

    The Brit’s victory against Lamens was her first win on an outdoor clay-court in almost three years, with her previous one coming at the 2022 French Open.

    Raducanu has not played the French Open or Italian Open since 2022, with her only outdoor clay appearance in the previous two seasons coming at the 2024 Madrid Open — where she exited in the first round.

    “I know I had to play really well to win and although it wasn’t always my best, I got stuck in at the right moments,” Raducanu said in a post-match interview.

    “I’m proud of how I competed. It is a strength of mine when I can use it.”

    With the 35 points earned from her opening round win at the WTA 1000 tournament, Raducanu has climbed two places from 49th to 47th in the Live WTA Rankings.

    This boosts Raducanu’s points tally by 25 points up to 1,139 as she was defending 10 points from her first round loss in Madrid last year.

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    The former world No 10 has a good opportunity to climb the rankings further in the coming weeks as she has no other points to defend during the clay season.

    Encouraging serving stats

    Raducanu’s serve caused her problems during her difficult early season run prior to Miami, but there were positives to take in this area from her Madrid opener.

    The 22-year-old landed 61% of her first serves and hit four aces against Lamens.

    While her 56% of first serve points won was on the low side, Raducanu won an excellent 66% of points behind her second delivery and hit only one double fault.

    Who will Raducanu face next?

    Raducanu will play 24th seed Marta Kostyuk in the second round in Madrid.

    The Brit holds a 1-1 record against the 22-year-old Ukrainian, who she dismantled 6-2, 6-1 at the 2022 Madrid Open in the pair’s previous meeting.

    READ NEXT: Sabalenka, Swiatek, Gauff, Pegula – which WTA stars are defending the most points at the Madrid Open?

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  • What represents success in tennis? Why trophies and rankings are not always a gauge of victory

    What represents success in tennis? Why trophies and rankings are not always a gauge of victory

    What represents success in tennis?

    For the game’s all-time greats, it will be a trophy haul at the end of a glorious career and statistics that ensure you are mixing it with the best players in the game.

    Yet the biggest winners in tennis are not just the chosen few who lift the golden Wimbledon trophy aloft or claim the world No 1 ranking.

    Maximising your potential is an achievement for any athlete and in the opinion of respected tennis agent Nathan Rooney, tennis can offer so much more than just victories and defeats.

    Rooney, who is the agent for British players Dan Evans, Liam Broady and Arthur Fery, was a national level junior himself who quickly realised he did not have the necessary resources to enable him to get anywhere near close to maximising his own potential as a professional player and was able to realign his playing objectives accordingly.

    Since his playing days, he has gone on to become a very successful businessman, founding and co-owning The Members Agency, an integrated sports sponsorship and athlete management agency, working with a host of European soccer clubs as well as a significant foothold within world tennis too.

    In a conversation with Tennis365, Rooney has outlined why he feels tennis gives you all the skills required to enjoy a successful life, even if your dreams on court fail to become a reality.

    How would you evaluate success?

    It’s not all about winning trophies. It’s my view that success is represented by a player’s ability to maximise their potential on the court and in life. The bigger the bank balance, the bigger the trophy cabinet, the higher the ranking… sure, these are often a by-product of ‘success’ and an indicator of a player’s potential, but these factors alone do not define success, in my opinion. Is the player who maxes out at a ranking of No 250 after giving everything to the game any less successful than a Nick Kyrgios, for example? Nick has achieved some incredible things by comparison, having been ranked as high as No 13 in the world rankings and, of course, a Wimbledon finalist, but if these achievements are well below what he’s actually capable of, is he more successful than the player who has achieved everything they could have possibly achieved… I am not sure.

    Andy Murray and Tim Henman

    Andy Murray and Tim Henman

    Is this the same debate we have about Tim Henman? The suggestion that he was a failure because he didn’t win Wimbledon.

    Precisely. Tim was No 4 in the world and reached six grand slam semi-finals, but some people coined his career as somewhat of a failure because he never won a slam. For me, that’s nonsense. I do not know Tim personally, but I would be surprised if he wasn’t able to sit comfortably with himself, knowing he gave everything to the game. As a result, he got what he got. For me, the perception of success versus the reality of it is often lost in the surface level tangibles of cash earned, titles won and rankings reached. In my opinion, it’s not what you achieve that is the biggest indicator of success, but more so how it is achieved.

    Do you feel tennis gives you transferable competencies that can serve you well outside of the sport?

    Absolutely, tennis gave me everything. It gave me the opportunity to aspire and dream. Through that aspiration and the pursuit of those dreams, the game taught me lessons no classroom ever could. At 40 years of age, I am in a supremely positive state of health, happiness and gratitude. All of that is largely attributed to the skills, competencies, experiences and relationships cultivated throughout my 30-year dedication to the game in various different capacities.

    Why do you feel tennis is such a good sport to build a foundation for a successful life?

    If you try to become a professional tennis player and you don’t ‘make it’, you will no doubt have acquired so many skills that will serve you well in life. I do a lot of work with top football clubs in my current role. Like many sports at the top level, there is a real dark side and football is no different. When a football club is done with a player, it’s literally done with them, instantly. This, for me, is not necessarily the biggest issue because many sports operate similarly, but it’s what remains for the players. The trouble with football, if you are good, is that everything is done for you from a very young age. It doesn’t require anywhere near the same amount of independent thinking that tennis demands from its players from ages as young as 11 or 12 onwards.

    In tennis, you are often operating with full autonomy and accountability for your wins, but more importantly, your losses. The frequency of losing is almost unrivalled in world sport when you break it down… tournament losses, matches, sets, games and points! The person specification skills and resilience that derive from those ‘losses’ are anything but a failure and truly contribute to giving its players great foundations for future success in life.

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    Do you feel there are transferable skills between what you learn in tennis and in the business world?

    Absolutely, yes. Having started my business with no prior industry experience, I am an example of that myself. Some of the highest achievers I have met in business have some kind of elite sporting background or are able to demonstrate a commitment to a sporting discipline over a prolonged period of time at one point or another in their lives. I certainly do want to champion tennis, but mainly, it’s the transferable skills and competencies you acquire through the pursuit of excellence in any discipline that need to be recognised and utilised as a springboard to future success.

    I feel that tennis equips you with a mindset required to be successful in business, the workplace and at home too. When players are trying to be the best they can be, it can often be a lonely place, which is no different to the world of entrepreneurship, business and even parenting, if you are trying to the be the best you can be in any (or all) of these areas, it can often be a lonely place hence the necessity for a mindset that will help you stay the course.

    READ NEXT: Rafael Nadal reveals Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray wish

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  • Alex Eala shares thoughts on Iga Swiatek rematch at Madrid Open

    Just a few weeks after Alex Eala claimed a famous win over Iga Swiatek, the rising star will face the former world No 1 in their second career meeting as they will square off at the Madrid Open.

    The 19-year-old Eala was the breakout sensation at the Miami Open in March as she beat three Grand Slam winners – including Swiatek – en route to reaching the semi-final of the WTA 1000 event.

    Besides Swiatek, the teenager also defeated 2017 French Open winner Jelena Ostapenko and reigning Australian Open champion Madison Keys.

    Her stunning run helped her to break into the top 80 of the WTA Rankings as she has since reached a career-high of No 72, easily the highest-ranked Filipina in WTA Tour history.

    She returned to WTA action in the Spanish capital Monday and claimed a first-round win over Viktoriya Tomova with her reward a second career match against second seed and defending champion Swiatek.

    Eala won 6-2, 7-5 when they met in Miami, but the youngster knows the five-time Grand Slam winner will come with a different game plan in Madrid.

    “I definitely think that each match is a different story,” she said. “Even if it’s against the same player every time – doesn’t matter if I play her at the same time next year in Miami or in Madrid next year, it’s going to be a different story than the last one.”

    Let’s not forget that Swiatek has a 13-2 record at the Madrid Open as she finished runner-up in 2023 and lost in the third round on her debut in 2021.

    In an interview with former Philippines player Dyan Castillejo, Eala explained how she will approach the game.

    “With the same mentality as every match, the same mentality as today. She is a big player so I have to be ready for what she is going to bring out and trust that I will prepare well,” the 19-year-old said.

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    She added: “Every game is different and just because I beat her last time it doesn’t mean I am going to beat her this time. She is a great player so I am not expecting anything.”

    Eala is also determined not to let her success in Miami distract her from what’s to come.

    “Now that the dust has settled, I try not to think about Miami so much,” she said. “Personally, of course it comes to mind when everyone’s asking – but in my mind, I have my whole life to look back at those moments and I’ll always have those memories.

    “But the tour goes on, competition goes on, so right now I’m fully focused on Madrid.”

    The post Alex Eala shares thoughts on Iga Swiatek rematch at Madrid Open appeared first on Tennis365.

  • Novak Djokovic makes feelings clear on criticism Carlos Alcaraz has faced

    Novak Djokovic has asserted that he does not understand the criticism Carlos Alcaraz has faced this year as he pointed out what his young rival has already accomplished.

    Alcaraz has faced some harsh scrutiny this season, particularly during a mixed run of results prior to the clay-court season.

    The world No 3 has amassed a strong 24-5 (82.8%) record across the seven tournaments he has played so far in 2025.

    The 21-year-old has won titles in Rotterdam and Monte Carlo and was a runner-up at the Barcelona Open.

    Alcaraz was also a semi-finalist in Indian Wells and a quarter-finalist at both the Australian Open and the Qatar Open, while he lost his opening match at the Miami Open.

    The Spanish star has won 18 titles, including four Grand Slams and six Masters 1000 events, in his outstanding career to date.

    Ahead of the 2025 Madrid Open, Djokovic took issue with the criticism Alcaraz has received in his home country.

    “No, I don’t understand it,” the Serbian told Eurosport Spain. “But the atmosphere and tradition of tennis in this country is very high.

    “The expectation is enormous after Nadal, [Carlos] Moya, [Juan Carlos] Ferrero… they’ve all been world No 1.

    “But, listen. He’s 21 years old, he’s won four Grand Slams and many tournaments. What more do you want? You want more, but what he’s done in this period is incredible.”

    Djokovic holds a 5-3 record against Alcaraz in what is a fascinating inter-generational rivalry.

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    The Serbian won the pair’s most recent encounter in four sets in the quarter-finals of the Australian Open in January.

    The duo are both in the bottom half of the Madrid Masters draw and could face off in the semi-finals.

    Alcaraz, the No 2 seed, will play either Zizou Bergs or Yoshihito Nishioka in his first match in Madrid. Djokovic, who is seeded fourth, will take on Matteo Arnaldi or Borna Coric.

    In an interview with GQ earlier this year, Djokovic addressed Alcaraz’s achievements and the ambitious statements he has made.

    “Carlos has done something no one has done in history for such a young age. So the odds are with him. He is going to complete his [career] Slam very soon,” the 24-time major winner said.

    “He’s even said himself, he wants to make history. He wants to be ‘the best in history.’ I respect that kind of mentality of, ‘Hey, I think I got the goods.’ But maybe it’s a little bit early for him to think about history.”

    READ NEXT: Carlos Alcaraz leaves former world No 2 feeling ‘uneasy’ ahead of Madrid Open

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  • Boris Becker claims tennis ‘needs’ both Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz

    Boris Becker has claimed that tennis “needs” both Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz ahead of the world No 1’s impending return to action next month.

    Sinner is currently serving a three-month ban, having settled his longstanding doping case with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) back in February 2025.

    The Italian has not competed since winning his third Grand Slam title at the Australian Open back in January, where he beat world No 2 Alexander Zverev in the final.

    Inconsistent results for the likes of Zverev and world No 3 Alcaraz in Sinner’s absence mean that he is guaranteed to still be world No 1 when he returns.

    Sinner’s three-month ban, which resulted from him testing positive for the banned steroid clostebol in March 2024, is set to end on May 4, 2025.

    The 23-year-old will then return to court on home turf at the Italian Open in Rome, and will also compete at the Hamburg Open before the second Grand Slam of the year at the French Open.

    The fallout from Sinner’s failed drug tests has attracted huge attention and controversy across the sport, with the Italian initially not suspended by the International Tennis Integrity Agency last August.

    The three-time Grand Slam champion has faced criticism from some, but he has found a welcome voice of support from former world No 1 Becker.

    Speaking to Eurosport at the Laureus Awards in Madrid on Monday, the six-time Grand Slam champion revealed he was pleased that Sinner’s return was near.

    “I’m happy,” said Becker.

    “I’m happy that he’s back. I think tennis needs Sinner as much as Alcaraz. I think the whole sports world is waiting for his return.”

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    Becker was also keen to defend Alcaraz amid a recent rise of criticism directed towards the 21-year-old.

    Alcaraz’s form and results have been under much scrutiny in 2025, particularly in the absence of key rival Sinner.

    The Spaniard saw his 16-match Indian Wells win streak snapped in the semi-final by Jack Draper, having suffered a surprise Qatar Open quarter-final loss to Jiri Lehecka in his previous event.

    Before Doha and Indian Wells, Alcaraz had won the first indoor title of his career at the Rotterdam Open.

    However, a second-round loss at the Miami Open following his Indian Wells exit fuelled further criticism of the four-time Grand Slam champion, before he won his sixth Masters title in Monte Carlo.

    Becker defended Alcaraz to Eurosport, describing the 21-year-old as a “diamond” and warning that perfection should not be expected.

    He added: “They’re [Spain] very lucky to have Carlos Alcaraz. He’s a diamond.

    “He’s incredibly important to tennis, a magician on the court, but he’s a human being, and human beings aren’t perfect.”

    Alcaraz is set to compete at the Madrid Open this week, where he will look to regain his title after previous triumphs in 2022 and 2023.

    Read Next: Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz to crash out as Alexander Zverev fights back – Madrid Open predictions

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  • Novak Djokovic makes revealing motivation confession and admits he is ‘not one of the favourites’

    Novak Djokovic has opened up on his motivation levels as he prepares to play at the Madrid Open for the first time since 2022.

    Djokovic stated on several occasions last year that he was lacking the desire to compete in regular ATP Tour events, with his decision to pull of several events confirming his focus was now trained on Grand Slam tournaments.

    Yet that approach has changed dramatically in recent months, with Djokovic playing in a tour event in Qatar in February and then spending most of March in America as he played at the Indian Wells and Miami Masters.

    He then played at the Monte Carlo Masters, losing his first match against Alejandro Tabilo and describing his performance as ‘horrible’.

    Despite that loss earlier this month, Djokovic has arrived in Madrid with coach Andy Murray alongside him and when asked by Eurosport Spain to describe his levels of motivation, he offered an intriguing answer.

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    Djokovic was asked if the retirement of his great rivals Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Murray had impacted his own desire to fight on in the sport and he insisted he would not be in Madrid if his motivation had evaporated.

    “If I’m not motivated, I’m not here. I don’t play anymore. I put the racket to rest,” he said.

    “I still feel the desire to play, the passion to compete is always there. I hope to push harder. The Grand Slams are tournaments where I have more motivation to do well.”

    He was also asked to asses his chance of success in Madrid, as he admitted his ambitions are a lower than they used to be.

    “I’m always optimistic, but I don’t know if I’m one of the favourites because I’m not having very good results this year,” he added.

    “The level I’m looking for could come here or at Roland Garros, I hope it will be here.

    “I always have very good feelings when I return to Madrid, to Spain. It’s a country I love very much. I’ve won the Madrid Open three times in my career, with extraordinary matches against Nadal and [Carlos] Alcaraz.

    “I’ve played little here in the last six to seven years, but I missed the Spanish public, because they know the sport well and respect tennis a lot. I have a good feeling and I hope to have a good tournament.”

    Djokovic has been enjoying his time in Madrid ahead of his opening match of the ATP Masters 1000 tournament, after he attended a Real Madrid soccer match at the Bernabeu on Sunday and then was in attendance at the Laureus Sports Awards on Monday evening.

    He has also been practising at the Madrid Open venue, with Murray’s presence as part of his coaching team evidence of his desire to impress as he looks to finally win the 100th title of his remarkable career.

    READ NEXT: Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz to crash out as Alexander Zverev fights back – Madrid Open predictions

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  • Alex Eala close to Naomi Osaka record as she books Iga Swiatek rematch in Madrid

    Alex Eala closed in on an impressive Naomi Osaka record as she breezed through her Madrid Open round one clash to book an enticing rematch versus Iga Swiatek.

    Playing in her first WTA-level event since her stunning run to the semi-final of the Miami Open, 19-year-old Eala breezed past Viktoriya Tomova 6-3, 6-2 inside the Caja Magica.

    The Filipina lost her serve three times but managed to break Tomova on six occasions, needing just an hour and 16 minutes to reach round two.

    Victory for Eala represents the second straight year in which she has won her opening round in Madrid, having picked up her first WTA 1000-level victory at the event in 2024.

    It was also a fifth win for Eala at WTA 1000 events in 2025, following her run in Miami.

    Eala beat Katie Volynets, Jelena Ostapenko, and Madison Keys in Florida and then received a fourth-round walkover from Paula Badosa, before her stunning victory against Swiatek in the last eight.

    Since the WTA 1000 format was introduced in 2009, Osaka is the only Asian teenager to have claimed more WTA 1000 match wins in an individual season, claiming six such wins in 2017.

    Eala is already one win off equalling that record, and the 19-year-old could match that tally against Swiatek later this week, ahead of her 20th birthday in May.

    The Filipina produced arguably the upset of 2025 so far with her 6-2, 7-5 triumph over the world No 2 in Miami, and will look to maintain her 100% record in their head-to-head when they meet in the Spanish capital.

    Swiatek will enter the match as the favourite, with the five-time Grand Slam champion looking to make it back-to-back titles in Madrid.

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    However, the 23-year-old has not won a title – or even reached a final – since the French Open last June, and started her clay season with a loss to Jelena Ostapenko in Stuttgart last week.

    The match between Swiatek and Eala is set to take place on Friday, giving the Filipina two days to prepare after her opening-round win.

    A second victory over the former world No 1 could cement a significant rankings rise for Eala.

    The 19-year-old is currently at a career-high ranking of world No 72 but is projected to rise to world No 68 in the WTA Live Rankings.

    Though the results of other players in the Madrid Open draw could affect that, triumph over Swiatek would all but guarantee a top-70 debut once the rankings update post-event.

    Breaking the top 70 would represent a stunning rise for Eala, who was ranked 140th in the world heading into the Miami Open a month ago.

    Before Miami, she had reached a career-high of world No 134 and only broke the top 100 following her quarter-final victory against Swiatek.

    Read Next: WTA Rankings: Aryna Sabalenka extends lead over Iga Swiatek, Jelena Ostapenko +6, Olga Danilovic’s milestone

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  • Carlos Alcaraz leaves former world No 2 feeling ‘uneasy’ ahead of Madrid Open

    Spanish tennis great Alex Corretja has urged Carlos Alcaraz not to play the Madrid Open if he has not recovered from the injury he suffered in Barcelona.

    There are concerns over Alcaraz‘s fitness ahead of the Madrid Open, where main draw play will get underway on May 23.

    The four-time Grand Slam champion sustained an abductor muscle injury early in the second set of his 6-7(6), 2-6 loss to Holger Rune in the Barcelona Open final on Sunday.

    The 21-year-old left the court for a lengthy medical timeout after three games in the second set and was unable or reluctant to move with his usual explosiveness after returning.

    Alcaraz played 10 matches in 12 days across the Monte Carlo Masters, where he won the title, and the ATP 500 in Barcelona.

    The world No 3 has entered the Madrid Open, where he is the second seed, and he is set to play either Zizou Bergs or Yoshihito Nishioka in his opening match. The Spaniard will aim to win his third title at the Masters 1000 tournament in his home nation.

    Speaking on El Larguero, Corretja expressed doubts over Alcaraz’s physical state and asserted that he should not risk playing the tournament if he is not fully healthy.

    “He needs to think with his head and leave his heart aside,” the former world No 2 said. “Playing one or two matches in Madrid and then withdrawing is not the solution.

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    “All the tournaments are very important, and the Mutua is crucial in the calendar, but if he thinks he could be injured, he should think about it.

    “If it were Rome, would he push himself to the limit? Well, I don’t think so, so he shouldn’t do it because it’s Madrid because it could be detrimental.

    “Physically, I’m going with concerns. He’s accumulated ten games in twelve days and a muscle injury on Sunday, so to be at full strength in four or five days in Madrid, he’ll be just in time because the schedule is going to be tough.

    “I see it with uncertainty; I have a lot of faith in Carlos, but it makes me uneasy about how he’ll feel. I’m sceptical about what he can do in Madrid.”

    The two-time French Open runner-up also gave his verdict on the Barcelona final.

    “He (Rune) was the one who controlled the tempo of the match and slowed things down,” Corretja added.

    “There was a moment midway through the first set when the Dane dominated more and Alcaraz made more errors.”

    READ NEXT: Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz to crash out as Alexander Zverev fights back – Madrid Open predictions

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  • Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz to crash out as Alexander Zverev fights back – Madrid Open predictions

    The second ATP Masters 1000 clay court tournament of the season is underway in Madrid and the storylines set to emerge from the extended tournament will dominate the tennis agenda for the next two weeks.

    This will be the final big tournament before world No 1 Jannik Sinner returns from his doping suspension and the absence of the Italian opens the door for his big rivals to eat into his lead in the world rankings.

    All eyes will be on Carlos Alcaraz as he ponders whether to play in Madrid after picking up an adductor injury in his Barcelona Open final defeat against Holger Rune on Sunday, while top seed Alexander Zverev will arrive in Madrid with his confidence boosted by a big win in the ATP 500 tournament in Munich.

    Novak Djokovic will play in Madrid for the first time since 2022 and only the second time since 2019, with defending champion Andrey Rublev facing some big pressure as he looks to defend the 1,000 points he collected from this tournament last year and retain his place in the top 10 of the ATP Rankings.

    Here are some predictions for this year’s Madrid Masters:

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    Novak Djokovic struggles to continue

    Novak Djokovic’s increased schedule is something of a mystery and he has arrived in Madrid with his coach Andy Murray as he chases his 100th career title once again.

    Djokovic stated time and again last year that he wanted to spend time with his family rather than plan in ATP Tour events, as he was focused only on playing in Grand Slam tournaments.

    That stance has shifted dramatically this season, with his eagerness to spend time with his family replaced by a schedule that is essentially matching all the top players in the game.

    This Serbian legend will toast his 38th birthday next month, with his presence in Madrid confirming he has the appetite to play more in 2025, but his results have not always been there.

    He lost in his first match in Monte Carlo against Alejandro Tabilo amid what he admitted was a ‘horrible’ performance, but time away from the court as he counts down to the French Open was not an option.

    Verdict: Djokovic could play Carlos Alcaraz in the semi-finals, but that seems like a long shot. His run to the Miami Open final was an outlier as Djokovic’s form in regular ATP Tour events has been poor and he will crash out early in Madrid.

    The Alcaraz question

    If this tournament was not in Madrid, there is every chance Alcaraz would not be playing, but he may push himself onto court despite injury worries.

    The adductor concern that affected he suffered in the Barcelona final may need time to heal, but skipping a Masters in his homeland would not sit well with Alcaraz and the danger must be that he makes the problem worse.

    Alcaraz played in Madrid last year despite an arm problem that needed rest and he may be forced to pull out if his injury is troubling him.

    Verdict: Alcaraz will be a threat to win if he is fully fit, but he could bow out early if his leg problem is a concern.

    Zverev firing again

    Alexander Zverev badly needed the title win he picked up in Munich last Sunday and not just because it fired him back to No 2 in the ATP Rankings ahead of Carlos Alcaraz.

    The German openly admitted his confidence was at rock bottom after a tough start to 2025, so now he has a chance to reboot his ambitions heading into a key phase of the season.

    Zverev was not at his best in Munich, but self-belief is so important in tennis and he should have some of that back again.

    Verdict: Zverev could be tested by the in-form Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in round three and he also has the dangerous duo of Francisco Cerundolo and Arthur Fils in his section of the draw. The time for excuses is over for Zverev and he should make it through to the semi-finals or better.

    Watch out for

    Jack Draper is an interesting player heading into this clay court season.

    The Indian Wells Masters champion has shown that he can be a threat on the red dirt and if his serve is firing in Madrid, he could be a dark horse to have a big run that would push him close to a place in the top five of the ATP Rankings for the first time.

    Arthur Fils is another live contender in Madrid, even though he was well beaten by Alcaraz in Barcelona and Holger Rune has to be a contender to win his first ATP Masters 1000 title since Paris in 2022.

    At home on the clay, Rune was so impressive as he beat Alcaraz in the Barcelona final and that was far from being his only polished performance last week.

    A player under huge pressure is defending champion Andrey Rublev.

    The Russian is currently at No 8 in the ATP Rankings, but a 1,000 points will drop off his total this week after his win in Madrid last year and he is down to No 17 in the live rankings.

    READ NEXT: ATP Madrid Open draw: Djokovic and Alcaraz set to clash, Zverev headlines top half

    The post Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz to crash out as Alexander Zverev fights back – Madrid Open predictions appeared first on Tennis365.