Sabalenka v Swiatek 10.0: Preview
Before the start of this year’s Mutua Madrid Open, Aryna Sabalenka said she felt her level had dipped as of late, making way for Iga Swiatek and Elena Rybakina to form a ‘Big Two’, rather than it being a ‘Big Three’ that included her. Fast-forward two weeks and Sabalenka has firmly reestablished the ‘Big Three’ […]
Swiatek takes no prisoners in the Caja Magica
Iga Swiatek has given herself a second chance. The Pole is back in the Mutua Madrid Open final one year on as she vies to avenge the defeat there to Aryna Sabalenka (2023). On Thursday, the world No.1 raced to victory over Madison Keys (6-1, 6-3), with the kind of dominance she has produced all […]
‘Calm’ approach key to Vicente guiding Rublev to best form
After his first match at the Caja Magica this fortnight, Andrey Rublev joked that his goal for the season was to “win more than one match”. The No.7 seed arrived in Madrid carrying a four-match losing streak, winless over a stretch of six weeks. “In tennis the good thing is that one week can change […]
Rybakina back from the brink to reach semis
If you look up the word ‘clutch’ in the dictionary, you’ll probably find Elena Rybakina’s name right next to it. Since losing to Anna Blinkova at the Australian Open in January, Rybakina has not lost a deciding set on tour, winning all 12 she has contested, including a wild one against Yulia Putintseva on Wednesday […]
«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 […]
Being an inspiration fuels Swiatek
Iga Swiatek shot to stardom almost overnight. She started the 2020 Roland Garros tournament as an unseeded teenager ranked 54 in the world and finished it as Poland’s first ever Grand Slam singles champion. The rest, as they say, is history, as Swiatek penned more chapters to her storied career – from winning more majors, […]
Nadal prepares to go another round in the Manolo Santana Stadium
There’s no greater incentive than savouring every shot, every point and every celebration with the complicity of the Madrid fans as if it were the last. This is Rafael Nadal’s mindset at this year’s Mutua Madrid Open, which he has already regaled with two unexpected episodes. On Monday he will be hoping to carve out […]
Monteiro serves up a surprise to send Tsitsipas packing
Thiago Monteiro spent a good portion of his childhood being driven around by his older brother Faber for hours and hours, from one tournament to another across Brazil, trying to make it as a young tennis player. He was adopted as a newborn baby and his mother Fatima raised him and his siblings as a […]
Swiatek keeps her foot on the gas in Madrid
Saturday at the Caja Mágica saw Iga Swiatek lifted the curtain on an enticing weekend of tennis with a straightforward win over Sorana Cirstea (6-1, 6-1) under the retractable roof of the Manolo Santana Stadium. The world No. 1 only needed one hour and 18 minutes to take her strike rate in the Mutua Madrid […]
Rybakina passes opening test to book Sherif showdown
Elena Rybakina prefers to play on faster surfaces, but judging by her results so far this season, it’s obvious that irrespective of her locale, the odds of her making it to finals weekend are always pretty high. The world No.4 has reached at least the quarter-finals in seven of the eight tournaments she has contested […]