Alcaraz continues to progress, despite bowing out to Rublev
Carlos Alcaraz will not dispute another Mutua Madrid Open semi-final this year after losing 6-4, 3-6, 2-6 to Andrey Rublev in the quarters. Although he was the epitome of concentration in set one, aware of the magnitude of the challenge of toppling a Top 10 player, in the second and third sets he was perhaps […]
Rublev ends Alcaraz’s dream in the Caja Mágica
Andrey Rublev managed to do something today that was long forgotten by the Manolo Santana Stadium. Since the day of his 18th birthday, before he was the great player we all know today, Carlos Alcaraz had not tasted defeat on the Caja Magica clay. With a sensational performance, muscling the ball around the centre court, the […]
Game, set and eternity: Nadal
The close of play on Tuesday provided one of the most special moments in the history of the Mutua Madrid Open. The stroke of midnight between April 30 and May 1 2024 in the Caja Magica marked the moment of the final farewell to the Caja Magica from the five-time champion of the tournament (2005, […]
Thank you, Rafa
Rafael Nadal has played his last match in the Manolo Santana Stadium. The news may take some time to sink in around the tennis world. One of the greatest athletes of all time has brought an end to his home career, with the entire Caja Magica on its feet as he bade them farewell. If […]
Alcaraz moves the goalposts
Carlitos made no bones about his goals here at the start of the week. The mission in Madrid was part of a grander plan, to play three or four matches to help him recover his fitness and pick up some competitive court time. The fear of a relapse was looming large at the back of […]
Alcaraz steals another epic in Madrid
“I missed this so much”. What Carlos Alcaraz scrawled on the camera straight after the match perfectly summed up his Tuesday afternoon in the Manolo Santana Stadium. To earn a place among the last eight at the Mutua Madrid Open, the Spaniard had to unpick the game of Jan-Lennard Struff in a rematch of last […]
Cerúndolo sinks two-time champion Zverev
Francisco Cerúndolo was not daunted by the 13-centimetre height between him and the man on the other side of the net, Alexander Zverev. Solid from the baseline, opening up angles, playing drop shots and daring passes, the Argentine played out of his skin on Tuesday on the clay of the Arantxa Sánchez Stadium. The Buenos […]
Sabalenka survives Collins’ streak
Collins-Sabalenka. Probably one of the matches so far at the 2024 Mutua Madrid Open. Two high-speed trains collided head on in the final match of the Manolo Santana Stadium night session and the result was spectacular. After almost two and a half hours of tennis, Aryna Sabalenka brought Danielle Collins’ streak to an end with […]
«The support I’m getting this year in Madrid is even more special, if that’s possible»
“It’s positive, because now I don’t feel that something went wrong with my body. Let’s see what happens tomorrow. But I’m gonna try. I’m gonna do things the right way to try to be ready for tomorrow”, Rafael Nadal assured the media on Monday shortly after coming through another match, this one requiring three hours […]
Nadal’s heart keeps beating in Madrid
The Manolo Santana Stadium held its breath and Rafael Nadal rewarded it with a lungful of oxygen. The Spaniard progressed to the fourth round in the Caja Magica on Monday after a dramatic match, ensuring he will have another chance to keep his fans on the edges of their seats. On a packed centre court, […]