ATP Masters Madrid: Novak Djokovic, Dominic Thiem and Roger Federer announce the start
The ATP Masters 1000 event in Madrid will probably come up with a sensational field of participants. All of the top 40 men's athletes have confirmed their start - including, somewhat surprisingly, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic .
by Michael Rothschädl
last edit: Apr 07, 2021, 08:42 am
That Roger Federer should continue his comeback on clay, of all places, comes as a bit of a surprise. The Swiss, who only recently returned to the ATP Tour after a one-year injury break at the proud age of 39 with a win, appears in the entry list of the ATP Masters 1000 event in Madrid. And there is strong competition there.
Because also the world number one, Novak Djokovic, has announced his start in the Spanish capital. Before that, the Serb will contest his first tournament since triumphing at the Australian Open at the ATP 250 event in Belgrade in his home country. At the Grand Slam Down Under, the industry leader lamented an injury to the abdominal muscle and consequently announced a break from competition.
All top 40 players on the entry list
The two best clay court players of recent years will also be at the start: Rafael Nadal and Dominic Thiem. The latter had recently refrained from competing in Miami due to a current form low and a slight mental sagging - and also canceled his start for the second ATP Masters 1000 event of the year, namely next week in Monte Carlo.
According to the Entry List, all representatives of the top 40 in the world rankings will start in Madrid. In view of the numerous cancellations that were reported in connection with a lack of motivation or applicable travel hurdles, this is unlikely to reflect the real starting field in Madrid. Then it will also show whether Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic will serve in Spain.
The entry list also points to an extremely strong field of participants for the women. World number one Ash Barty as well as her first pursuers Naomi Osaka, Simona Halep and Sofia Kenin have confirmed their participation in the event in Spain. The Mutua Madrid Open will start on April 27th. Defending champion for men is Novak Djokovic, and for women, Kiki Bertens triumphed in 2019. In the previous year, the tournament fell victim to COVID-19.