As dominant as Rafael Nadal has been during the European clay-court swing, he is not the only player in red-hot form at this week's Mutua Madrid Open.
The Spaniard has some company among favourites to lift the trophy at the clay-court ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event. Despite making his first appearance on the dirt this year, Juan Martin del Potro poses a significant threat at the Caja Mágica.
Just six weeks removed from capturing his maiden Masters 1000 crown at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, Del Potro is eyeing even more success at the elite level. And having won 15 of his past 16 matches entering the week, the Argentine is undoubtedly one to watch in the Spanish capital.
"I'm happy to be able to come back to Madrid after a few years," said Del Potro. "The tournament each year is improving. I have a really nice time here when I come to Madrid. It's a really tough tournament with really good players, especially one player who is above all of the others. I'm talking about Rafa.
"I want to do great. I'm trying to get through the first few rounds. It's going to be a tough clay tournament. I think that maybe at the beginning it's going to be a little bit difficult for me, but I also think it's going to be something positive looking towards Roland Garros."
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Del Potro is back in Madrid after making just one tournament appearance since 2012. The Argentine will be buoyed by confidence gained from his stellar stretch in Indian Wells and Miami, as he looks to build on his return to the Top 10 of the ATP Rankings.
And despite hard courts being his preferred surface, Del Potro enters the clay-court season with great success on the dirt. Among active players, he owns the seventh-highest win percentage (.713) in the FedEx ATP Performance Zone, boasting a 72-29 record. He has enjoyed past success in Madrid as well, with semi-final finishes in both 2009 and 2012.
"The last few weeks were great to me. I was at home for a while, spending good time with friends and family. Also training to be ready for these tournaments. We decided to come here maybe a couple of weeks ago when I got good feelings on the clay courts.
"Physically you must be 100 per cent all the time. Playing on clay, you have to hit the ball harder to win the point. Maybe you have to play more than two, three hours a match. It's not easy for my game or for my body, too, after all my injuries to play on clay.
"But I'm excited to see how good I am in these tournaments... I'm still thinking it's a good opportunity for me to keep going up in the [ATP Rankings] and keep doing well. But I know how tough this tournament is for me. I'm happy to be back in Madrid after a long time."
Seeded fourth, Del Potro will open against either Julien Benneteau or Damir Dzumhur in the second round. Fellow seeds Kevin Anderson and Roberto Bautista Agut loom large in his quarter of the draw, with five-time champion Nadal a potential semi-final opponent.
Del Potro is also in the doubles draw, teaming with Dominic Thiem. They will face Pablo Cuevas and Marcel Granollers in the first round, with top seeds Lukasz Kubot and Marcelo Melo awaiting the winners.
"We have a good relationship. For us, it's a good chance to play doubles before our singles. We never played together, so we will see what happens. I think it is going to be fun for us.
"I like to play here in Madrid. Here the conditions are good. We have altitude. The ball goes fast. The server has chances to win here because of these conditions. So it could be a good opportunity for me."
