The Mutua Madrid Open is tying up the final loose ends at an edition replete with candidates to the throne. The draw for the men’s singles competition was made on Monday in the underbelly of the Caja Magica, where countless ATP Masters 1000s delights will be served up over the next fortnight. The Spanish capital will be the epicentre of world tennis and the best players in the world are already warming up their engines as they vie to dominate the clay.
Two-time champion Alexander Zverev heads the draw as he bids to make Caja Magica history by donning his third crown. The German will kick off his campaign against a home player, with Roberto Bautista Agut and Jaume Munar clashing in round one for the honour of playing him. In a sector of the draw packed with Spanish talent, players like Pablo Carreño Busta and Alejandro Davidovich Fokina could meet the top seed in round three, guaranteeing a vibrant atmosphere in his early matches.
As if that were not intense enough, defending champion Andrey Rublev is also in the same sector as the German, meaning they could potentially cross paths in the quarterfinals. If the seventh seed is dreaming of repeating his 2024 triumph, he will have to get past the likes of Gael Monfils, Jakub Mensik and Ben Shelton in the early rounds.
The top part of the draw also includes Denmark’s Holger Rune, who has just proven himself on clay by winning the crown at the ATP 500 in Barcelona. However, the altitude of Madrid will first have to be tamed, and there are a number of big hitters in his sector. US player Taylor Fritz is on the Scandinavian’s roadmap as a possible quarterfinal foe, first though he may have to get past the huge experience of players like Casper Ruud, Daniil Medvedev and Marin Cilic.
See the full Mutua Madrid Open draw here
Carlos Alcaraz will be hoping to ride the wave of public affection in the lower half of the draw. The Murcia native will open against either Belgium’s Zizou Bergs or the Japanese Yoshihito Nishioka, as he attempts to continue his solid start to the clay swing. In an intense sector of the draw, the Spaniard could square off against Grigor Dimitrov in round four and faces a tough quarterfinal, where he may cross swords with an in-form Alex de Minaur or the quality of Stefanos Tsitsipas in the Spanish capital.
The bottom half of the draw is notable for the presence of Novak Djokovic, who is competing in the Caja Magica for the first time since the 2022 season. The Balkan will start his foray against the Italian Matteo Arnaldi or a qualifier as he tries to rediscover the aura that won him three titles at the tournament. His venture in the Manolo Santana Stadium will have to be forged in a sector abound with danger, with the likes of Frances Tiafoe as a possible last-sixteen opponent while Jack Draper looms as a possible quarterfinal clash. The presence of #NetGenATP player Joao Fonseca in this part of the draw also adds a special touch of excitement to the route of the former world No. 1.
A possible semifinal encounter between Alcaraz and Djokovic, who met in the Olympic final last year on the same surface, makes the Mutua Madrid Open an even more attractive prospect just as the on-court action is about to begin.
The men’s singles main draw at the Mutua Madrid Open will take place from 23 April to 4 May.
