The women don’t play in Monte-Carlo, so the Mutua Madrid Open marks the first of two clay-court Masters 1000 tournaments, which was preceded by a WTA 500 in Stuttgart. Elena Rybakina will be looking to make it two titles in as many weeks and conditions in Madrid should be good for her game, but she could be challenged by the usual suspects such as No. 1 seed Iga Swiatek and defending champion Aryna Sabalenka. Here are my best bets for the women’s 2024 Mutua Madrid Open. Aryna Sabalenka (+650)  Sabalenka may not be at her very best on clay, but it is nonetheless no surprise at all to see ..read more

The Mutua Madrid Open draw ceremony was held on Monday afternoon, when a loaded top half resulted from the shuffle of names. Jannik Sinner is the No. 1 seed with Novak Djokovic having withdrawn, but the draw did Sinner no favors because his side of the bracket is stacked. It also features Daniil Medvedev, Casper Ruud, Stefanos Tsitsipas, and Grigor Dimitrov. Ruud and Tsitsipas just faced each other in back-to-back clay-court finals in Monte-Carlo and Barcelona, with Ruud triumphing at the latter on Sunday after Tsitsipas lifted the trophy at the former. Sinner could face either Ruud or Dimit ..read more

In a rematch of last week’s Monte-Carlo final, Casper Ruud avenged his recent loss to Stefanos Tsitsipas by triumphing 7-5, 6-3 for the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell title on Sunday afternoon. It is the biggest title of Ruud’s career (ATP 500), as every single one of his 10 previous successes had come at the 250 level. He had been 0-7 lifetime in finals of 500s, Masters 1000s, Grand Slams, and the Nitto ATP Finals. “Honestly, this has been worth the wait,” the sixth-ranked Norwegian assured. “A lot of finals that I’ve lost have been tough, a bit disappointing, of course. Any time you reach a ..read more

A pair of ATP 250 titles will be up for grabs when the clay-court swing continues on Sunday in Munich and Bucharest. Taylor Fritz and Jan-Lennard Struff will square off at the former, while the latter pits Marton Fucsovics against Mariano Navone. BMW Open: (3) Taylor Fritz vs. (4) Jan-Lennard Struff One way or the other, there will be a “first” in Munich on Sunday afternoon. Fritz is aiming for his first clay-court title, while Struff is still seeking his first ATP title of any kind. This is not the first time Struff has been on the doorstep in front of the home crowd, however. Two of the 33-y ..read more

Novak Djokovic withdrew from the upcoming Mutua Madrid Open on Saturday. Having also pulled out last year, Djokovic has not played the Madrid Masters since losing to Carlos Alcaraz in the semifinals of the 2022 tournament. Djokovic’s decision is not a huge surprise since he has made no secret about prioritizing Grand Slams and the Olympics at this stage of his career. The 36-year-old Serb also skipped the Miami Open and has taken the court for just three events so far in 2024 (not including the United Cup team competition). Djokovic’s clay-court swing began with a Monte-Carlo semifinal loss t ..read more

Casper Ruud and Stefanos Tsitsipas are one round away from a potential rematch of their Monte-Carlo title tilt from last week. Ruud awaits Tomas Martin Etcheverry in the Barcelona semifinals on Saturday, while Tsitsipas faces Dusan Lajovic. (3) Casper Ruud vs. (13) Tomas Martin Etcheverry Ruud and Etcheverry will be squaring off for the second time in their careers when they battle for a semifinal spot at the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell on Saturday. Their only previous meeting came last fall on the hard courts of Beijing, where Ruud prevailed 1-6, 7-5, 7-6(7). The rematch should be just as c ..read more

Following his early exit from the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell, Rafael Nadal is already practicing in Madrid for the upcoming Mutua Madrid Open. The second of three clay-court Masters 1000 tournaments begins next Wednesday. Nadal’s appearance in Barcelona marked his first official ATP tournament since Brisbane in January. The 37-year-old Spaniard defeated Flavio Cobolli in his comeback match before falling to Alex de Minaur in the second round. RAFA has arrived in Madrid! How far will he go at home's tournament? (@MutuaMadridOpen) pic.twitter.com/mMDt1zwX6Y — We Are Tennis (@WeAreTennis ..read more

Only one of the top four seeds is through to the quarterfinals in Barcelona, as No. 3 Casper Ruud continues to take care of business following his runner-up performance in Monte-Carlo. Ruud will face Matteo Arnaldi on Friday. Matteo Arnaldi vs. (3) Casper Ruud The 2023 campaign was a disappointing one by Ruud’s recent standards, but he has come back like gangbusters in 2024. Ruud is currently No. 4 in the racing to Turin thanks to a 26-7 match record that includes a runner-up showing at last week’s Monte-Carlo Masters followed by Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell victories over Alexandre Muller and ..read more

Rafael Nadal lost to Alex de Minaur 7-5, 6-1 in the second round of the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell on Wednesday, but the 37-year-old Spaniard sounded optimistic about playing later during the clay-court swing in Madrid, Rome, and Paris. Nadal was competitive in the first set, coming back from a 3-1 deficit to earn a break point that would have given him a 5-3 advantage. After the former world No. 1 dropped the opener, however, he seemed to play more cautious tennis in the second and things went downhill. “On a personal level, for what is to come, the 6-1 in the second set is what had to ha ..read more

Alejandro Davidovich Fokina has home-court advantage in Barcelona but faces a tough opening test in the form of Tomas Machac on Wednesday. Lorenzo Musetti and Roberto Carballes Baena are also hoping for a place in the round of 16. (11) Alejandro Davidovich Fokina vs. Tomas Machac Davidovich Fokina and Machac will be squaring off for the first time in their careers when they meet in round two the Barcelona Open Banc Sabaell on Wednesday. Despite being ranked No. 50 in the world, it feels like only a matter of time before Machac starts getting seeded at Grand Slams. The 23-year-old Czech is 11-6 ..read more