ATP Masters Madrid: Getting started could be tough
It's not just the absence of Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic that gnaws at the attractiveness of the early rounds at the ATP Masters 1000 tournament in Madrid.
by Jens Huiber
last edit:
Apr 26, 2023, 08:42 am
Right here at this point, a few days ago, there was philosophizing about why the expansion of the ATP Masters 1000 tournament in Madrid for the event in Munich brought an earlier (and therefore worse) date, but also a few advantages. First and foremost time for the more prominent players to recover between the tournament at MTTC Iphitos and the one at Caja Magica. Munich champion Holger Rune is happy to take it. After all, it makes a difference whether you have to go back on Tuesday - or only on Friday or Saturday.
But as was the case last time in Miami, there is little mood when looking at the first round games. Well, the indestructible Stan Wawrinka will join the competition this Wednesday, maybe we will soon hear more from Martin Landaluce, the very young Spaniard, who will play the last game in the Manolo Santana against old master Richard Gasquet.
Monte Carlo with the stronger start
But wasn't the idea of the ATP - especially from its boss Andrea Gaudenzi - to further upgrade the 1000s in Madrid and Rome and thus make the two clay court classics more attractive for the worldwide fan community? It's no one's fault that a whopping ten of the top 50 players in the world don't play in Madrid for various reasons. But it is unlikely that the entire tennis community in New York City will meet at five a.m. local time to celebrate the eternally young hit between Emilio Nava and Gregoire Barrere with a hearty public viewing.
Yes, the effort for the top players to be fully challenged again immediately after a short and intense week in Madrid in the Foro Italico in Rome was enormous. From that point of view, it was probably reasonable to put in a few days of rest, to enlarge the grid and increase the prize money for everyone involved (in Madrid there is already 16,340 euros just for participating in round one).
However, the attractiveness for the viewers has suffered massively due to the inflation of the draw. No comparison to Monte-Carlo, where Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz didn't start, but where it was really exciting from day one because there were matchups that were really worth seeing. But good: Maybe Benoit Paire will cause a spectacle. He can play against Matteo Arnaldi in the last game in Stadium 6.
Here is the individual tableau in Madrid
madrid map