It was a seamless transition for Juan Martin del Potro in his first match of the season on clay at the Mutua Madrid Open. The BNP Paribas Open champion (d. Federer) took just 80 minutes to book his place in the second round on Tuesday, beating Damir Dzumhur 6-3, 6-3. "I was playing well out there," said Del Potro. "That gives me confidence [heading] towards the next match." The first-round match was Del Potro’s first appearance on the ATP World Tour since John Isner snapped his 15-match win streak in the Miami Open presented by Itaú semi-finals. Del Potro had won back-to-back titles in Acapulco and Indian Wells prior to the loss. Del Potro won 66 per cent of service...
The afternoons were routine: When the clock struck 5 p.m., a young Fernando Verdasco dashed home from school, dropped off his backpack, then rushed over to Madrid's tennis facilities to watch either his current coach, Ignacio Truyol, or his former coach, Juan-Luis Rascon-Lope, hone their games on the practice courts. His intent was twofold: The seven-year-old wanted to learn from his future mentors but also hoped to get a few minutes of court time with the professional players. If that wasn't an option, he'd imitate their movements and motions by hitting balls against a fence. Now, plenty of children are looking up to Verdasco. The Spaniard earned the 500th match win of his career Tuesday by defeating Italian Paolo Lorenzi...
Watch as the Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan play tennis and interact with fans from the rooftop of the Caja Magica ahead of their first match at the 2018 Mutua Madrid Open. Watch live tennis
Spaniard Fernando Verdasco earned his first ATP World Tour victory in Sopot, Poland against Argentine Mariano Puerta in 2002. And nearly 16 years later, the dynamic left-hander celebrates history, lacing an inside-in forehand winner to defeat Italian Paolo Lorenzi 7-5, 6-4 at the Mutua Madrid Open, becoming the 45th player in ATP World Tour history to claim 500 match wins. "It's an unbelievable victory," Verdasco told Tennis TV after the match. "Getting the 500th victory of my career is an unbelievable number that I never even thought about. I'm super-emotional and super-happy." The one-hour, 24-minute minute victory on Tuesday makes Verdasco the sixth Spaniard to join the elite club, and he is also the ninth active player to achieve the...