The last time Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal entered the month of May first and second in the Emirates ATP Race [To London] was in 2007. A decade later, the Swiss and the Spaniard are setting the pace on the ATP World Tour once again. Having already battled for a Grand Slam championship and an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title this year, Federer and Nadal are now poised to turn back the clock with a potential season-long tussle for the top spot in the Emirates ATP Race To London. A semi-final run at this week's Mutua Madrid Open would see Nadal edge ahead of Federer, who has opted for an extended break after completing the Sunshine Double in Indian...
View FedEx ATP Head2Head for the following match-ups Wednesday at the Mutua Madrid Open & vote for who you think will win! Djokovic v Almagro | Nadal v Fognini | Tsonga v Ferrer | Cilic vs Zverev [GROUP POLL]41[/GROUP POLL] View Wednesday schedule and check back later for preview notes. • Six of the Top 8 players in the Emirates ATP Rankings are on Wednesday’s star-studded schedule at the Mutua Madrid Open, led by No. 2 and reigning champion Novak Djokovic, No. 3 Stan Wawrinka and No. 5 and four-time Madrid winner Rafael Nadal, all on Manolo Santana. Santana, who is the tournament director, celebrates his 79th birthday on Wednesday. The Top 10 trio of No. 6 Milos Raonic, No....
Welcome to Madrid, Alexander Zverev. The 20-year-old German, making his Mutua Madrid Open debut, delivered a business-like performance on Tuesday, dismissing Spanish veteran Fernando Verdasco 7-5, 6-3 on the Manolo Santana Centre Court. “He was serving at a very high level for the whole match. It was very complicated, especially at the beginning of the match, to return his serves,” Verdasco said. “After that, if I managed to serve well, I didn't manage to cause him any trouble. It was not easy for me to play after he served.” The win extends Zverev's win streak to five after the #NextGenATP star won the BMW Open by FWU title on Sunday in Munich, his first clay-court crown. The title was Zverev's...
Two-time champion Andy Murray returned to the clay with ease on Tuesday, gaining a routine 6-4, 6-3 win against Romanian qualifier Marius Copil on the Manolo Santana Centre Court at the Mutua Madrid Open. The top-seeded Murray improved to 11-0 in his opening matches in the Spanish capital, dating back to his debut in 2006. The Scot will meet #NextGenATP Croatian Borna Coric or French qualifier Pierre-Hugues Herbert. “When I started to control the points more towards the end of the first set and second set, I was hitting the ball pretty clean, creating a few chances. I didn't give him any opportunities,” Murray said. “It was good for the first match.” Murray is looking to kick-start his 2017 campaign...
Ivo Karlovic broke a five-match losing streak at the Mutua Madrid Open in spectacular fashion on Tuesday. The Croatian fired down 35 aces and saved four match points to beat Roberto Bautista Agut of Spain 7-6(4), 6-7(9), 7-6(7) in just over three hours for a place in the second round. In a first-time meeting, featuring no service breaks, Karlovic failed to convert match point opportunities when he led by a set and 5-4, 40/0, then at 7/6 and 9/8 in the tie-break, and again at 6/5 in the deciding set tie-break. Bautista Agut missed out on four match point chances on Karlovic’s serve when leading 5-4 (Ad) and 6-5 (15/40) and at 7/6 in the deciding set tie-break. Karlovic, who...