NADAL AND DJOKOVIC OUT OF MADRID

Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic pull out of Madrid while Carlos Alcaraz and Iga Swiatek add more titles

By Stephen Higgins | 24th April 2023

Rafael Nadal
Sunday proved third time lucky for Andrey Rublev in Masters 1000 finals | Victor Velter/Shutterstock

As the tour moves onto the red clay of Madrid, there will be a superb opportunity for someone on the men’s side given the late withdrawals of Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic.

Unfortunately, the Spaniard’s absence is hardly a surprise. Last week, Nadal detailed the lengthy struggle he has endured trying to recuperate from the hip issue that flared up in Melbourne. The 36-year-old revealed that the rehabilitation process was set to last for eight weeks, but after 14 there hasn’t been sufficient progress. The 14-time Roland Garros champion will try a different treatment as he desperately tries to defend the Coupe des Mousquetaires in Paris.

As for Djokovic, an elbow issue hampered him in early losses in both Monte-Carlo and Banja Luka. In Bosnia, the world no.1 admitted that his elbow was “not in an ideal situation”. It’s an ill-timed setback for the Serb as he pushes to move ahead of Nadal on 23 singles majors. Will Djokovic be able to play Rome or just go into Roland Garros without a warm-up event?

Given their gargantuan absences, Carlos Alcaraz looks is the clear man to beat at the Caja Magica after a successful defence of his Barcelona title last week. The 19-year-old did not drop a set all week and broke the spirit of Stefanos Tsitsipas in the final with a disgraceful amount of dropshots. He took the trophy with a comfortable 6-4 6-3 score line in the end.

Alcaraz won Madrid 12 months ago, and while he can close in on Djokovic over the next fortnight, the Spaniard will not return to no.1 even with a successful title defence.

STUTTGART | WTA 500

Iga Swiatek successfully defended her title after a polished performance in Sunday’s final. The Pole had too much in every department as Aryna Sabalenka struggled to utilise her superior power on a slower surface.

Swiatek looked almost invincible as she completed a 6-3 6-4 victory. Over the coming weeks, it will take some performance to dislodge the 21-year-old as she seeks to win Roland Garros for a third time.

MUNICH | ATP 250

In a highly dramatic final, Holger Rune somehow recovered from 2-5 down in the third set - while facing two championship points - to win the tie-break and defend his title.

On a rollercoaster afternoon, the Dane also struggled with arm and ankle niggles in the latter stages but still overcame a shellshocked Botic van de Zandschulp 6-4 1-6 7-6. The 19-year-old is now within striking distance of Andrey Rublev’s place at no.6 in the rankings.

BANJA LUKA | ATP 250

It was a super week for Dusan Lajovic at the inaugural Bosnian event as he beat Novak Djokovic and Andrey Rublev en route to a second career title. The 32-year-old battled well throughout the week and eventually overcame Rublev 6-3 4-6 6-4 in the final. Lajovic moves up thirty places to no.40 in the ATP rankings.