The 2023 Mutua Madrid Open will be replete with talent. In a year in which the tournament has grown, with both singles draws now including 96 players, the Caja Mágica is opening its doors to the best tennis players in the world. The clay of the Spanish capital is ready for two weeks of competition lovers of the game will not want to miss.
In the men’s event, invitations to the main draw have gone to Spaniard Martín Landaluce, Swiss player Stan Wawrinka, the Austrian Dominic Thiem and Jordanian player Abedallah Shelbayh. The wild cards in the women’s competition will provide a unique opportunity to Spanish players Marina Bassols and Rebeka Masarova, the Andorran Victoria Jiménez, Czech player Brenda Fruhvirtova, the Ukrainian Elina Svitolina, Filipino player Alexandra Eala and Colombian player Camila Osorio.
One of the biggest names of the 2006 generation, Martín Landaluce will enjoy a very special moment in his fledgling career. The Madrid native, who won the Junior US Open at just 16 years of age last September, has affirmed his leadership among the new generations on tour by becoming world No. 1 in the category in 2023. In his native city, he will have the chance to compete for the first time at an ATP Masters 1000 event and to enjoy himself against the best players on tour.
Ex-world No. 3 Stan Wawrinka is guaranteed to entertain on his return to Madrid. One of the biggest figures of this era, the three-time Grand Slam champion will be back on the Caja Mágica clay on the 10th anniversary of the final he reached in the Spanish capital. At 38 years of age, Wawrinka is one of the most respected players on tour thanks to his ability to hit aggressive shots from anywhere on the court.
Two-time finalist Dominic Thiem will be welcome at one of his favourite venues on tour. The Austrian player, who was on the verge of the title in 2017 and 2018, before reaching the semis in 2019 and 2021, understands the conditions of the Madrid tournament like few others. A total of 16 wins in the Caja Mágica are a reflection of his authority on the clay. He could go under the radar this year.
Abedallah Shelbayh will have a chance to break into the big time, having already made himself something of a pioneer on tour. At 19 years of age, he has already broken down barriers by becoming the first player from Jordan to earn an official ranking and claim wins in main draws on the ATP Tour. His progress at the Rafa Nadal Academy, where he has trained since 2018, will be there for all to see in the Caja Mágica.
Eight years after winning the Under-16 Mutua Madrid Open, Marina Bassols will be back on the clay of the Spanish capital as a very different player. The Catalonian, a member of the recent Spanish Billie Jean King Cup teams, has become one of the most promising members of the Armada and now has her sights set firmly on the Top 100 at 23 years of age. After a meteoric season in 2022, when she climbed over 150 positions in the rankings, the invite to the Caja Mágica is payback for her consolidation as a professional.
The road to the elite bears the name of Rebeka Masarova, one of the standout players so far in 2023. The 23-year-old Basel-born player represents Spain with her unapologetically direct style of tennis, which is a perfect match for the conditions of the Madrid clay. A former Junior French Open champion, she is sure to feel at home on the surface in the Caja Mágica, which will provide the ideal stage for her to extend a thrilling run that has seen her reach her first WTA final and earn a place in the world’s Top 100.
The competitiveness in every one of Elina Svitolina’s shots is something to behold. After recently becoming a mother, the Ukrainian is back to prove that her hunger knows no bounds on clay. One of the last decade’s most consistent players, the ex-world No. 3 is sure to be hard to beat from the baseline. The player from Odessa has more WTA singles titles than any other active player under the age of 30, reason enough to give her plenty of respect in the Spanish capital.
At just 17 years of age, Victoria Jiménez Kasintseva will be back on the stage that provided the backdrop for one of the biggest moments of her career. In 2021 she made her WTA debut on the clay of the Mutua Madrid Open, kickstarting a dream career on the tour. She is the first player hailing from Andorra to have competed in WTA main draws, and she will be hoping to make the most of her experience at this year’s event.
There is also room in the Caja Mágica for the youngest player in the world’s Top 300. The Czech Brenda Fruhvirtova, at just 16 years of age, will be looking to hold her own against the toughest players on tour as her lightning-fast progress in her professional career continues. With a self-confidence that belies her years, in 2023 the player from Prague has made her debut in the main draw of a Grand Slam and demonstrated that she was born to play in the biggest events on tour. In Madrid she may be accompanied by her sister Linda, two years her senior.
In a sport that is becoming increasingly global, figures such as Alexandra Eala are proof of the fact that tennis knows no limits. After becoming, at the age of 17, the first player from the Philippines to win a WTA Tour match, the Asian looks set to make her international breakthrough in 2023. The current Junior US Open champion climbed over 300 positions in the rankings last season, in a demonstration of the solid progress she is making at the Rafa Nadal Academy, where she has been training since she was 13. Madrid is waiting with baited breath to see one of the tour’s most promising talents.
South American tennis can only boast one player under the age of 22 among the 250 best female players in the world. The Colombian Camila Osorio is a breath of fresh air for a region with a rich tradition on tour and her arrival in Madrid will be a huge attraction for her compatriots in the Spanish capital. Once a member of the Top 35, and with a WTA title on clay already under her belt, Camila will be playing in her first Mutua Madrid Open as she bids to show off her talent at one of the biggest venues on the calendar.
At a tournament that always has one eye on the future, the next generation will have a worthy representative in Mirra Andreeva. The Russian, who is just 15 years old, is turning heads with her vertiginous rise onto the tour. She has maintained her momentum so far in the 2023 season, during which she reached the final of the Junior Australian Open and became the only player under the age of 16 to win multiple titles in the ITF W60 category or higher in the history of the ITF World Tennis Tour.
The remaining wild card for the 2023 Mutua Madrid Open will be announced in the coming days.
2023 Mutua Madrid Open wild cards
ATP Main Draw
- Martín Landaluce
- Abedallah Shelbayh
- Stan Wawrinka
- Dominic Thiem
- TBC
ATP Qualifiers
- Daniel Rincón
- Reda Bennani
- Benoit Paire
- Arthur Cazaux
- Emilio Nava
WTA Main draw
- Victoria Jiménez
- Brenda Fruhvirtova
- Alexandra Eala
- Camila Osorio
- Elna Svitolina
- Marina Bassols
- Rebeka Masarova
- Mirra Andreeva
WTA Qualifiers
- Carlota Martínez
- Jessica Bouzas
- Emiliana Arango
- Aliona Bolsova
- Leyre Romero
- Rosa Vicens
