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The Madrid Open men’s singles draw has been released – and Novak Djokovic is projected to face Carlos Alcaraz in the last four.

Fourth seed Djokovic has been drawn in the same half as second seed Alcaraz at the Masters 1000 event, meaning the two former champions could be set for a semi-final showdown.

The pair famously met in the last four back in 2022, where Alcaraz prevailed in a three-set thriller on his way to the first of two back-to-back titles on home turf.

Second seed Alcaraz comes into the tournament under a slight injury cloud following an apparent issue in his Barcelona Open final loss to Holger Rune.

The 21-year-old is reportedly undergoing a scan on Monday to determine the severity of a lower back problem, though he may be aided by receiving a round-one bye in Madrid.

Assuming Alcaraz plays, he will start his campaign against one of Zizou Bergs or Yoshihito Nishioka in round two, before a projected meeting against 26th seed Jiri Lehecka in round three.

The Spaniard is then expected to face 15th seed Grigor Dimitrov in round four before a quarter-final against sixth seed Alex de Minaur, in what would be a rematch of their last-eight clash in Barcelona.

However, de Minaur’s section is an open one, with 17th seed Stefanos Tsitsipas and 10th seed Lorenzo Musetti also placed here.

If action in Madrid follows the seedings, Alcaraz would then face fourth seed Djokovic in the semi-final, though the Serbian has been handed an intriguing draw.

Djokovic will face a qualifier or Matteo Arnaldi in round two, before a projected third round against 32nd seed Sebastian Baez.

The Serbian is then expected to face 16th seed Frances Tiafoe in the fourth round before a projected quarter-final against fifth seed Jack Draper.

After an opening-round bye, Draper could face Tallon Griekspoor in round two, before a projected round-three encounter versus former finalist and 30th seed Matteo Berrettini, and a fourth round versus 11th seed Tommy Paul.

Meanwhile, the top half of the draw is headlined by top seed Alexander Zverev, who returned to world No 2 on Monday after his triumph in Munich on Sunday.

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However, the two-time Madrid champion has not been handed the easiest draw in his quest to capture a third title.

Zverev will face one of Roberto Bautista Agut or Jaume Munar in round two and potentially 28th seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in round three.

That could then be followed by a fourth-round clash versus 13th seed Arthur Fils, who beat Zverev in Miami last month, and then a quarter-final against seventh seed and defending champion Andrey Rublev.

The Russian could face Gael Monfils in his first match and then 25th seed Alexei Popyrin, who beat him in the Canadian Open final last summer, in the third round.

Rublev could then face 12th seed Ben Shelton or 22nd seed Jakub Mensik in round four.

The second quarter of the draw is headlined by third seed Taylor Fritz, who will look to find some form after an injury lay-off at the beginning of the clay swing.

Fritz, who is projected to face Zverev in the last four, begins his campaign against Christopher O’Connell or Camilo Ugo Carabelli.

The US star could then take on 27th seed Hubert Hurkacz in round three and 14th seed Casper Ruud in round four, before a projected quarter-final against Barcelona champion Rune.

Eighth seed Rune faces a tough opener against one of Flavio Cobolli or Fabian Marozsan, before projected contests versus 31st seed Brandon Nakashima and ninth seed Daniil Medvedev.

Read Next: WTA Madrid Open draw: Swiatek could face Eala & Ostapenko, Sabalenka’s kind draw, Raducanu top half

The post ATP Madrid Open draw: Djokovic and Alcaraz set to clash, Zverev headlines top half appeared first on Tennis365.

Carlos Alcaraz’s hopes of playing in the Madrid Masters are set to be decided by a scan on the injury that hampered his ambitions in his Barcelona final defeat against Holger Rune.

Alcaraz had hoped to claim a third title in Catalonia and headed back to his Spanish homeland in an upbeat mood after winning last week’s Monte Carlo Masters.

However, he was clearly hampered by a physical problem in the second set and fell to a 7-6[6], 6-2 defeat.

The loss was damaging as with Alexander Zverev celebrating his 28th birthday by winning the BMW Open on home soil in Munich, Alcaraz will drop back to No 3 world rankings behind the German on Monday.

Alcaraz started the match in dominant form and broke serve early in the first set, but Rune was in impressive form and snapped a 13-game losing streak against opponents ranked in the top five rivals as he claimed his first ATP 500 title.

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“It means the world,” the Dane said on Sky Sports, as he booked his return to the top 10 of the ATP rankings with his win in Barcelona.

“It was such a great match. In the beginning, I was a bit stressed because Carlos obviously played big-time tennis. I had to breathe a lot and find my rhythm.

“Then it was a big battle in the first set, the first set was extremely important. I’m so proud of myself.”

The questions after the match focused on the injury to Alcaraz and while there were suggestions he had a groin problem, the reigning French Open champion revealed the problem area was his psoas.

The psoas muscle is a long, thick muscle located in the lower back, specifically on either side of the spine.

It’s a crucial part of the core, connecting the spine to the hip and thigh bone. The psoas muscle’s main function is to flex the hip, allowing you to move your leg forward, and it also plays a role in spinal stabilisation and posture.

“I’ve noticed some discomfort in my right psoas, and when you feel a little pain, alarm bells go off and you’re taken out of the match,” said Alcaraz.

“I’ve struggled to keep going and maintain a good level. From what I’m feeling right now, I’ll be off for two days. I’m confident it won’t hurt me ahead of Madrid”

“It’s been two weeks of nonstop play, and it’s been a real challenge. Today wasn’t possible, but I gave everything I had. I don’t know if I could have pushed myself any harder.”

A report in the Spanish newspaper Marca suggests Alcaraz will have a scan on his back on Monday, with the result set to decide whether he will play at the Madrid Open.

He will receive a bye in the first round of the tournament and could ask tournament organisers for a delayed start in Madrid, but his suggestion that he is jadaed after playing so much tennis in Monte Carlo and Barcelona suggests he may welcome a break from competitive tennis over the next few days.

READ NEXT: Holger Rune snaps 13-match losing streak against top 5 players after winning the Barcelona Open

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The 2025 Madrid Open women’s singles draw is out – and Iga Swiatek could have to play two women who have already beaten her this year before the quarter-final stage.

World No 2 Swiatek heads into Madrid as the defending champion and is desperately looking to get back to title-winning ways, having not reached a final since Roland Garros last June.

However, the five-time Grand Slam champion has been handed an unkind draw early on in the Spanish capital.

Swiatek, like all 32 seeds, has received an opening-round bye but could then face Alex Eala in the second round, just weeks after the Filipina stunned the world No 2 in Miami.

Eala has received a wildcard into the draw and will have to first beat Viktoriya Tomova in the first round to set up a clash against Swiatek.

Swiatek is then projected to face 31st seed Linda Noskova, who beat her at the 2024 Australian Open, in round three, before a projected fourth-round clash versus 13th seed Diana Shnaider.

However, 23rd seed Jelena Ostapenko is also a potential fourth-round opponent for Swiatek, just days after the Latvian moved to six wins from six over the Pole thanks to victory in Stuttgart.

Swiatek is in the same quarter of the draw as fifth seed Madison Keys, in what could be a rematch of their thrilling Australian Open semi-final.

Keys could well face Naomi Osaka in her opening match, and take on 11th seed and compatriot Emma Navarro in the fourth round.

Meanwhile, Swiatek’s projected semi-final opponent is fourth seed Coco Gauff, who herself will be looking to find some form after a tricky few months.

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Gauff has a fairly kind draw early on but could face in-form 20th seed Clara Tauson in round four, before a potential quarter-final against seventh seed, and Dubai and Indian Wells champion, Mirra Andreeva.

The top half of the draw is headlined by world No 1 and two-time Madrid Open champion Aryna Sabalenka, gunning for a third title after missing championship points against Swiatek twelve months ago.

Sabalenka is projected to start against a qualifier in round two and then face 28th seed Elise Mertens, whom she beat in Stuttgart this week, in round three.

The Belarusian could face a significant test in the fourth round against 15th seed Amanda Anisimova, before a potential quarter-final against eighth seed Zheng Qinwen or ninth seed Paula Badosa.

Also present in the top quarter of the draw is Emma Raducanu, who will be looking to bounce back after a disappointing campaign in Madrid last year.

Raducanu will face Suzan Lamens in round one and would then face 24th seed Marta Kostyuk should she progress, before a potentiak third round against Badosa.

Third seed Jessica Pegula is Sabalenka’s projected semi-final opponent and could face 26th seed Ons Jabeur in the third round, in what would be a rematch of the 2022 final.

Pegula is projected to face 14th seed Daria Kasatkina in the fourth round, before a potential quarter-final versus sixth seed Jasmine Paolini or 10th seed Elena Rybakina.

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The post WTA Madrid Open draw: Swiatek could face Eala & Ostapenko, Sabalenka’s kind draw, Raducanu top half appeared first on Tennis365.

Holger Rune snapped a 13-match losing streak against top-five opponents after defeating Carlos Alcaraz in the final of the Barcelona Open.

The victory marked the Dane’s first title since Munich in 2023, in a match which handed Alcaraz just his second loss on Spanish soil in his last 31 matches.

“It means the world, it was such a great match,” stated Rune, in his post-match interview.

“I think, at the beginning, I was a bit stressed since Carlos [Alcaraz] plays big-time tennis and I had to breathe a lot and find my rhythm.

“After the beginning where he broke me, I played more my tennis and then it was a big battle – the first set was important – I know how it feels to lose such a first set, and, for me, it was super important to win it and gain the momentum, so I’m so proud of myself.

“In the beginning of the first set, where I got broken, I thought ‘wow, how can I beat him?’ and then I thought ‘ok, I don’t need to try to hit every shot on the line’, so told myself what did Novak [Djokovic] do when he beat him.

“I played that over in my mind the [2024] Olympic final, where they played an amazing match. I thought to myself to play that kind of style and make him play a lot of balls and I’m very happy with how I stayed composed when it really mattered, I was also very brave when it mattered.”

After his Barcelona adventures, Rune will return to the world’s ATP top 10 for the first time since April 2024 – leapfrogging Daniil Medvedev into the ninth spot.

Additionally, the former world No 3 hadn’t beaten a top-five ranked player since the Rome Masters in 2023, where he beat Casper Ruud in the semi-finals – losing all 13 meetings against such players since then.

“I want to say congratulations, not just for this week, but for Monaco,” Rune said towards the Spaniard.

“I watched your win, and you’re doing something amazing for tennis and sport as well, congrats to your team – you guys are doing a great job, so I wish you good luck for the future.”

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Alcaraz, who looked to be suffering from leg discomfort early on in the second set, was as gracious as ever, taking time to praise the victor after collecting his runners-up trophy.

“First of all, I have to say congratulations on an amazing week,” the four-time Grand Slam champion said.

“Coming from Monte Carlo where you had to retire, and then coming here to Barcelona showing great tennis and a great effort for the people watching tennis, I appreciate that.

“I have to congratulate your team, we’ve been seeing each other since [we were] 12-years-old, time flies, so I’m just really happy to see us in this position, how far we’ve been together, so just congratulations and keep going.”

The Spaniard’s defeat – and with Alexander Zverev’s Munich title – means that Alcaraz will slip back down to the world No 3 spot, sitting 35 points behind the German.

The post Holger Rune snaps 13-match losing streak against top 5 players after winning the Barcelona Open appeared first on Tennis365.

Alexander Zverev has emphatically returned to winning ways after breezing past Ben Shelton to lift the Bavarian Open title on Sunday.

In a battle of the top two seeds, top seed Zverev was rarely troubled as he saw off second seed Shelton 6-2, 6-4 to claim the 24th title of his career – and ninth on clay – on his 28th birthday.

Victory for Zverev sees him claim his third title in Munich, having previously lifted back-to-back titles in 2017 and 2018.

That makes him just the second man in the Open Era to win three Bavarian Open titles, following in the footsteps of compatriot Philipp Kohlschreiber, who triumphed in 2007, 2012, and 2016.

However, the event was upgraded from an ATP 250 tournament to an ATP 500 tournament for 2025, making this Zverev’s most significant triumph at the event so far.

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“It’s extremely special,” said birthday boy Zverev, who receives a BMW for his victory.

“I always love playing in Germany, winning tournaments in Germany is probably the most special thing that I can do. It’s definitely a great birthday present – let’s put it that way.

“I definitely knew I had to play my best tennis today. Ben has been playing extremely well this week, I think the conditions suit him extremely well.

“It’s very hot, very fast – it’s perfect for me as well, to be fair. I enjoyed my birthday so far!”

It is the first title of 2025 for Zverev, and it cements a significant return to form after a difficult spell on the ATP Tour.

The German tasted a third defeat in as many Grand Slam finals at the Australian Open back in January, falling to Jannik Sinner, and had struggled for form since then.

Until Munich, Zverev had reached the quarter-final of just two of his six events since Melbourne, and lost his opening match of the European clay swing to Matteo Berrettini in Monte Carlo last week.

Victory for the German almost did not happen either in Munich, with quarter-final opponent Tallon Griekspoor serving for the match before the home favourite roared back to seal victory.

An early defeat for Zverev in Monte Carlo, coupled with Carlos Alcaraz’s triumph at the Masters 1000 event, saw the German fall to world No 3.

However, having triumphed in Munich, the 28-year-old will rise back up to world No 2 if Alcaraz is beaten in Sunday afternoon’s Barcelona Open final.

Zverev will next be in action at the Masters 1000 event in Madrid, where he lifted the title in 2018 – after a triumph in Munich – and 2021.

Read Next: Carlos Alcaraz could face alarming rankings fall if he loses Barcelona final

The post Alexander Zverev ties incredible Munich record as captures first title of 2025 appeared first on Tennis365.

Iga Swiatek’s worrying defeat against Jelena Ostapenko in the Stuttgart Open quarter-finals was the first part of a nightmare scenario that could see her face a huge WTA Rankings slide over the next few weeks.

World No 2 Swiatek’s dominance on clay courts made her defeat against Ostapenko all the more unexpected, even though she has now lost all six of her matches against an opponent who clearly knows how to take her out of her comfort zone.

What comes next could define not only Swiatek’s story for the rest of 2025, but also for the long term as she has a glut of ranking points to defend over the next month.

The WTA Rankings are compiled over a 52-week rolling period that sees points drop off a player’s total after a year and she has a massive 4,000 points coming out of her current haul after she won the Madrid Open, Rome Open and French Open in 2024.

Swiatek’s mastery of the red European dirt was confirmed during her glorious run of form in April, May and June of last year, but it does mean she is under huge pressure to defend those points over the next few weeks.

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Ostapenko is one of the few players that appears to give Swiatek real trouble, but her confidence may have been rocked by this latest setback and she may now head to Madrid with uncertainty as one of her biggest enemies.

If she were to lose half of the ranking points she collected in this period of 2024, she would drop face the prospect of dropping out of the top two of the WTA Rankings and if she lost more points than that, he position in the top six or six positions could be under threat.

The Polish star has struggled to find her best form consistently this season and while some of her performances have been clinical and dominant, others have been uncharacteristically erratic.

She has suggested criticism from the media in her Polish homeland has not helped her cause, but this four-time French Open champion should be confident of finding plenty of wins on her favourite surface over the next month.

“It’s still a challenge because it’s not like I come to play [on clay] and everything is perfect suddenly,” Swiatek said at Stuttgart Media Day on Monday. “We play on a hard court most of the year, so coming to clay court I still need some time to adjust to.

“But for sure, I feel like I’m in the right place. With a good amount of work and focus, I’m going to be able to start playing my game.”

Swiatek leads the statistics for clay court wins on the WTA Tour, but she will be keen to avoid Ostapenko in upcoming draws as the Latvian star clearly appears to have found a way to beat her.

Swiatek has not won a title since the French Open last June and she will be keen to snap that run in double quick time as she looks to avoid a rankings meltdown.

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Novak Djokovic has arrived in Spain ahead of his first appearance at the Madrid Open since 2022 and he has confirmed his intentions to challenge for the title by bringing Andy Murray with him in his coaching box.

Djokovic’s partnership with his old rival Murray has been one of the most compelling tennis storylines of the year, with the three-time Grand Slam champion a surprise pick to work with the 24-time major winner at the Australian Open in January.

It was unclear whether their partnership would continue after that experience in Melbourne, where Djokovic reached the semi-finals before he was forced to pull out with an injury in his semi-final against Alexander Zverev, but they worked together again at the Indian Wells and Miami Masters tournaments last month.

Djokovic then admitted he ‘didn’t know where Murray was’ as he played his first clay court tournament in Monte Carlo, with some question marks over whether the Serbian would play in the Spanish capital after he slipped to a defeat against Alejandro Tabilo in his opening match.

Djokovic described that loss and his performance as ‘horrible’, with some observers suggesting he may skip the Madrid Masters as he looks to build towards his primary target in the clay court season, which is the French Open at Roland Garros at the end of May.

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“I was hoping it was not going to happen, but it was quite a high probability I’m going to play this way,” said Djokovic after his loss in Monte Carlo.

“I don’t know. Just horrible. Horrible feeling to play this way, and just sorry for all the people that have to witness this.

“I expected myself at least to have put a decent performance. Not like this. It was horrible. I did not have high expectations, really.

“I knew I’m gonna have a tough opponent and I knew I’m gonna probably play pretty bad. But this bad, I didn’t expect.”

Djokovic’s downbeat press conference has not encouraged him to skip the Madrid Open, with his eagerness to play more tournaments in 2025 emphasised by his decision to bring Murray with him to Madrid.

Novak, welcome back to Madrid: the home of tennis @DjokerNole | @atptour | #MMOPEN pic.twitter.com/WVornaDmwV

— #MMOPEN (@MutuaMadridOpen) April 19, 2025

Djokovic and Murray practised at the Madrid venue on Saturday night, with the three-time Madrid Open champion looking in focused mood as he prepares for a draw where he will be the No 4 seed.

The case to win a 100th career title is clearly driving on Djokovic, with his near miss as he made it through to the Miami Open final last month before losing against Jakub Mensic.

“Ever since I won my 99th, which was the Olympic Games in Paris, I’ve been playing with the prospect of winning the special hundred titles,” said Djokovic in Miami.

“I played finals of Shanghai. I was close there. Semi-finals of Australia. Then been trying to find that necessary and much-needed level of tennis that will put me in a position to fight for a trophy, a big trophy.

“Clearly it is something I want to do, but I know it won’t be easy.”

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Carlos Alcaraz is the form player in men’s tennis after he backed up his thrilling win in last week’s Monte Carlo Masters with a run to the Barcelona Open final – but he might still be about to lose the world No 2 ranking.

Alcaraz extended his winning run at the Barcelona Open to a hugely impressive 14 matches with a comfortable victory over Arthur Fils in the semi-finals in front an enthusiastic Barcelona crowd.

This was a much more comprehensive win than Alcaraz served up against Fils in a classic semi-final in Monte Carlo, as he had far too much firepower for the 20-year-old Frenchman as he beat him 6-2 6-4.

“The first thing we have to be grateful for is the sun,” Alcaraz said, after a week of less than warm conditions in Barcelona.

“The sun was out, it wasn’t raining. There was [however] a lot of wind today, so I had to survive. It wasn’t about playing fantastic tennis, brilliant shots… It was about making the shots you have to do, no more than that.

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“Since I was a little kid, I was here on Sundays watching the final. I played twice here so being in a final here in Barcelona again means a lot.

“In front of my people, my friends who came from Murcia, and of course, the people here in Barcelona. It’s been a really fun and great week, and let’s see if we can end tomorrow with a trophy.”;

Alcaraz won the title in Barcelona in in 2022 and 2023 before missing last year’s tournament through injury and even though he is picking up fresh ranking points this week, he could still be ousted as world No 2.

Alcaraz remains some distance behind Jannik Sinner in the battle for the world No 1 ranking, but he returned to the No 2 ranking after his Monte Carlo Masters win last week.

Now he could be one defeat away from losing that ranking, as he needs to beat an in-form Holger Rune in Sunday’s final to hold onto the No 2 ranking.

Alexander Zverev has been struggling for form throughout 2025, but he has battled his way through to the final of the ATP 500 tournament in Munich this week and will overtake Alcaraz in the rankings if he wins his final against Ben Shelton and Rune wins in Barcelona.

“It’s awesome, the entire week has been amazing,” said Zverev as he commented on the Munich event that has been upgraded to ATP 500 level.

“The spectators have been really enjoying the weather, the new centre court and the new tournament. I’m enjoying it myself and hopefully I can have another great day tomorrow.

“I thought I played quite a good match. I lost focus once in the first set on my serve, but apart from that I thought it was a good match. I thought Fabian played extremely well and I’m just happy to be in the final.”

Zverev openly admitted he was lacking on confidence after his poor results in recent months, so this revival in front of his German fans could be significant as he prepares for a crucial few weeks that will include the defence of the Rome Masters title he won last year.

The battle between Zverev and Alcaraz for the world No 2 ranking is significant, as the player who comes out on top would avoid a clash with world No 1 Jannik Sinner in next month’s French Open final until the final in Roland Garros.

READ NEXT: Holger Rune secures stunning rankings breakthrough as he seals Carlos Alcaraz showdown

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Holger Rune suffered a slump in form after his initial breakthrough on the ATP Tour, but now the impressive Dane is heading back to the top 10 of the ATP Rankings after some thrilling performances at the Barcelona Open.

Rune’s hugely impressive form in Barcelona continued with his finest display yet, as he beat Karen Khachanov 6-3, 6-2 to seal a fine win that sets up a win against Spanish hero Carlos Alcaraz in a mouth-watering final.

It was enough to fire Rune up to No 9 in the live ATP Rankings and while that some way short of his highest position of No 4, it looks like a more mature and consistent player is now rising to the surface.

He was asked about his return to the top 10 after beating Khachenov and admitted it was ‘definitely a motivation’.

“At the beginning of the week, it’s not really something I think about, but it is great for it to happen,” said Rune.

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“I told myself: ‘Let’s use it as a training week to build’. Now it’s not really a training week, it’s become a very good week.

“I’m super happy to be in the final and back in the Top 10 in the Live Rankings, it feels good.

“I was playing very well from the back of the court, and mixing up the pace very well. He’s very good from the serve, [using] his forehand and backhand. So I tried to make it difficult for him by mixing it up with drop shots, slices, and high balls. It’s all a balance, but I’m happy with how I handled it today.”

Rune has a win on his record against Barcelona final opponent that came during his run to the 2022 Paris Masters title, with another win over Alcaraz likely to be even more significant on Sunday.

Before Alcaraz burst to the top of the game and won four Grand Slam titles in double quick time, Rune was being viewed as the leader of the next generation of superstar players.

He has been left in Alcaraz’s shadow over the last couple of years and told Tennis365 last December that he as made some mistakes that have contributed to his momentum being halted.

“It all happened very fast for me when I won the Paris Masters and that was nice, but it was also stressful in some moments, especially when I started playing bad at the end of 2023,” Rune told Tennis365.

“Now I am back on a better path and improving. Now I’m not looking too much into what happened in the past, but more what is happening now and in the future, as that’s what I can control.

“You can look at pressure in two different ways. You can say there is a lot of pressure, or you can say it’s amazing that people believe in me and have high expectations for me to be a great player. This is my dream and we are living it.

“I don’t think about any expectations on me when I’m playing. I don’t think I need to win this match because of the expectations on me. I am very competitive when I go out there and you need to learn that when you are young, you don’t know everything yet. It’s about finding out how to react after great moments and to practice even harder after great moments.

“I have always believed in myself, but over the last one and a half years, I haven’t put the right work in. Now I am putting the right work in I hope the rewards will come.

“Without the specific tennis, fitness and mental things we are working on, it won’t happen. Everyone can say they want to win a Grand Slam, but you need to put the right work in.

“I can only blame myself because the decisions were all made by me. Every coach I’ve had and every person I’ve had has done the best they can do for my tennis, but it needs to fit the person and I think it’s really, really personal to have the right people.

“There are not hundreds of guys out there, but it’s about having the right people in your team who can give me what I want to improve my game and I feel like I have that now.”

READ NEXT: Holger Rune admits he has made mistakes in brutally honest interview

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Emma Raducanu has admitted she is not comfortable playing on clay courts, but former British No 1 Laura Robson has insisted she can shine on the red dirt.

Raducanu played only a limited clay court programme last year, as she opted against playing in qualifying for the French Open in favour of preparing for the grass court season.

While that decision reaped some rewards as she enjoyed some big wins in front of her British fans on grass, Robson believes Raducanu should embrace the challenge of playing on grass.

“I think in the future, it’s going to be a surface that will actually really suit me, I think, maybe I’m a little bit away from that right now,” she said whule playing for Great Britain on the surface in last year’s Billie Jean King Cup.

Raducanu’s power packed ground strokes would appear to be perfectly suited to clay, but she has struggled with her movement on the surface at times, which is understandable as she would not have played on the surface growing up in Britain.

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Despite that lack of experience, Robson has backed the 22-year-old to shine on clay this year and insisted she should commit to playing more tournaments.

“I’m sure Emma would like to do well on clay and grass this year and play a full schedule,” said Robson at a Sky Sports Tennis event.

“Clay is great for developing all areas of the game. Tactically, it’s a great surface to learn how to turn around matches when you are behind in slower conditions.

“Clay conditions change so much depending on the weather and where you are playing.

“Madrid is always so different to Rome and it might be that one set of conditions suits Emma better than the other.”

The early indicators in Raducanu’s clay court season may not be suggesting she is planning to play more on the surface this year.

She opted against playing for Great Britain in the Billie Jean King Cup finals and then pulled out of a WTA 250 event in Rousen, as she opted to take time away from the game after her run to the Miami Open quarter-finals last month.

That decision inspired former world No 1 Andy Roddick to question Raducanu’s motivation, as he offered up these comments on the latest edition of his Served podcast.

“She just found her form… why is she recalibrating? What does that mean?” asked Roddick. “She looked great. She looked like a top 10 player in Miami. Why stop now?

“I get so frustrated. I’m such a fan of hers. I like listening to her reasoning on things, but you get to the quarter-finals, you are finally getting momentum and then you stop.

“Why put a speed bump in the middle of your season? It just happens over and over.

“You got to the quarters, let’s build. Let’s keep it rolling. I don’t think clay is going to be her best surface, but she is really good on grass. Let’s hope she sticks to the strategy this time.”

Raducanu is currently on the entry list at the Madrid Open and also the Rome Open at the start of May, while her current ranking will be enough to secure her direct entry into the French Open at Roland Garros.

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