Rafael Nadal is coming to tennis courts near you in Spain since he declared that he’ll compete in the Madrid Open alongside Novak Djokovic.
Other than Nadal and Djokovic, we will also see the likes of Stefanos Tsitsipas, Casper Ruud, Carlos Alcaraz, and Alexander Zverev – who is the reigning champion of this tournament.
Elsewhere, former No. 1 Daniil Medvedev will not be flying to Madrid as he’s working his way towards 100-per cent fitness after undergoing hernia surgery.
As we’re waiting for the final draw of this competition, for the meantime, join SBOTOP as we discuss some of the latest Madrid Open 2022 updates.
Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic back in the grid
Rafael Nadal confirmed that he’ll return to action when the Madrid Open starts on May 1 where he’ll be joined by Big 3 colleague Novak Djokovic. It’s good to see them back since these two ATP superstars have missed weeks of action due to various reasons.
For Nadal, he has been dealing with a rib injury that sidelined him for a month, causing him to miss the Miami Open, Monte-Carlo Masters, and Barcelona Open.
He sustained a stress fracture while playing at Indian Wells in March to which he lost the final to Taylor Fritz –ending a 20-match winning streak for the Spaniard, including a record 21st Grand Slam when he won the Australian Open.
“Despite arriving with minimum preparation and knowing that it will be difficult, I am very excited to play and to play in front of a home crowd, even with few chances to win,” wrote Nadal in Spanish on his Twitter. “I will try to do it the best I can. See you in Madrid.”
The Mallorca native has won five times in this particular tournament, and he’ll look to get another one because he hasn’t won it since 2017.
On the other hand, Novak Djokovic has been missing tournaments because of his uncompromising anti-vaccine stance. The world No. 1 wasn’t allowed to play at the Australian Open in January as he was deported and had his visa revoked twice because of his unwillingness to take the COVID-19 shot.
After Australia, Djokovic went on to miss the Indian Wells and Miami Open because of the USA’s strict COVID-19 entry rules.
So, much of his availability moving forward depends on the host country’s COVID-19 protocols. In fact, he told the media earlier this year that he was willing to miss out on other tournaments if he’s required to get vaccinated.
With Spain being a bit lenient compared to other countries, Djokovic should be able to compete and pick up where he left off by adding points to boost his ATP ranking.
Nadal and Djokovic may be older now, but they’re part of the Big 3 for a reason, which is why they’re two of the biggest favourites by the Madrid Open 2022 odds.
Alexander Zverev eager to bounce back
Alexander Zverev is in for a tough title defence since he’s having a poor start to the season. The 25-year-old’s confidence is shook following a Round of 16 loss at the hands of Holger Rune during the Munich Open.
Rune was listed No. 70 in the ATP rankings prior to the said tournament while Zverev had received a bye in the first round since he was the top seed, so Zverev’s defeat was a huge letdown for his home fans since he had such an underwhelming performance.
Zverev hasn’t won a single title so far this season and he made the headlines last February for the wrong reasons after smashing his racquet into the umpire’s chair in Mexico.
The German was subsequently booted out of the tournament and he was also slapped with a ban and a hefty fine.
He will look to regain his form here in Madrid. Zverev earned his second Madrid Open trophy last year in impressive fashion – beating Rafael Nadal, Dominic Thiem, and Matteo Berrettini en route for his fourth-ever ATP Masters 1000 crown.
Daniil Medvedev on the mend
Daniil Medvedev posted a video of his recent tennis practices after being sidelined due to a hernia surgery, but it’s unclear on when he’ll make his return. The Russian hasn’t played a set since the Miami Open last month.
While seeing him training is well and good, the 2021 US Open champion faces uncertainty as he is banned from playing in the UK after the All England Club at Wimbledon and the Lawn Tennis Association banned Russian and Belarusian players following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Several parties have criticised this decision such as Novak Djokovic, John Millman, and former 18-time Grand Slam champion Martina Navratilova.
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