Madrid Open 2022 Tournament Preview
The first combined clay ATP Masters 1000 and WTA 1000 tournament is upon us in the Madrid Open 2022 as the very best pros fight for glory in the Spanish capital.
The men have already played the 1000 level Monte Carlo Masters while Madrid is the first clay WTA 1000 tournament of the season.
World number one Novak Djokovic returns to Madrid for the first time since winning the event in 2019 while Australian Open champion Rafael Nadal is set to return from a rib injury.
Defending champions Alexander Zverev and Aryna Sabalenka will be looking to back up their 2021 triumphs.
Meanwhile new world number one Iga Swiatek has unfortunately withdrawn from the event due to a shoulder injury, leaving her without a shot at a first title in the Spanish capital.
Monte Carlo Masters champion Stefanos Tsitsipas, new top 10 star Carlos Alcaraz and US Open champion Emma Raducanu will also feature.
Join Tennishead for an extensive preview of the top level tour event. When does play get going, who is taking part, how can you watch all the action live on TV and what mouth-watering showdowns might you see over the course of the draws?
Dates
While the Madrid Open 2022 is a combined event, the men’s and women’s draws do not run totally simultaneously.
The women’s main draw gets underway on Thursday 28th April and concludes on Saturday 7th May.
The men’s main draw kicks off on Sunday 1st May and culminates in the final a week later on Sunday 8th May.
Players
The women’s draw is a full 64-person draw with 16 seeds but no byes.
Meanwhile the men’s draw is comprised of 56 players with 16 seeds, the top eight of which receive a bye to the second round.
World number one Iga Swiatek is the most notable absence due to a right shoulder injury, leaving world number three and 2021 semi-finalist Paula Badosa as the highest seed among the women.
The women’s draw is stacked with talent including former world number ones Simona Halep, Naomi Osaka and Karolina Pliskova and past Slam champions Petra Kvitova, Emma Raducanu, Sloane Stephens, Garbine Muguruza, Victoria Azarenka, Jelena Ostapenko.
Miami Open breakthrough teen talent Linda Fruhvirtova and 2016 Olympic singles gold medallist Monica Puig are among the wildcards.
With the men, Madrid is the first tournament since Roland Garros last year where both Djokovic and Nadal will be in the draw, offering a chance for them to meet for an ATP record-extending 59th time.
Two-time and defending champion Zverev will be in action while 2021 finalist Matteo Berrettini is still absent due to injury, as is world number two Daniil Medvedev.
Tsitsipas and Alcaraz come in from Barcelona with the Spanish teenager riding high off claiming the title in Catalonia.
Andrey Rublev also comes in off a title win at the Serbia Open in Belgrade, defeating Djokovic in the final there.
Fellow top-tenners Casper Ruud and Felix Auger-Aliassime join the fray too, as does Monte Carlo finalist Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.
Finally, two-time Madrid finalist Dominic Thiem will continue his injury comeback at the 2022 event, while Andy Murray plays his first clay tennis of the year.
WTA Player List
Note: Since Swiatek withdrew after the draw was made, the seeds are not totally reallocated, but instead Leylah Fernandez is made the 17th seed.
ATP Player List
Note: Taylor Fritz withdrew from the event due to a left foot injury, making Roberto Bautista Agut the 17th seed and bringing lucky loser Ugo Humbert into the draw.
Where is the event held?
The tournament is played at the Caja Mágica (Magic Box) in Madrid, Spain on outdoor clay courts, with retractable roofs on the three main courts.
How to watch all the matches live on TV?
The best place to guarantee live coverage of every match is Tennis TV. Tennis TV is the official live and on demand video streaming app of the ATP Tour with features including:
- Live streaming of all ATP Tour tournaments
- Up to 8 courts of simultaneous coverage
- Replays of every match available with over 14,000 hours’ worth to enjoy
- Archive of more than 7,000 full matches
- All ATP Masters 1000s and ATP 500 tournaments including Indian Wells, Miami, Monte
Carlo, Madrid, Rogers Cup, Cincinnati, Shanghai, Paris plus the Nitto ATP Finals, ATP Cup and Next Gen ATP Finals. ATP 250s are also shown on Tennis TV. - Full-length classic matches featuring Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Pete
Sampras, Andre Agassi and many more dating back to 1990
Grab your Tennis TV subscription right now so you don’t miss any of the action from Monte Carlo
Ranking points breakdown, singles
Prize money breakdown, singles
Can I buy tickets for the tournament?
Tickets for the Madrid Open 2022 can be purchased through the tournament website.
How can I follow the tournament?
Make sure to keep up to date on the official tournament website, the official tournament Twitter, the official ATP Tour and WTA Tour Twitters, as well as checking out match highlight clips on Tennis TV Twitter or with a Tennis TV subscription.
Draws
WTA
ATP
Potential Matchups
WTA
2021 Indian Wells champion Badosa has rocketed up the rankings since her surprise run to last year’s Madrid semi-finals as a wildcard, leaving her as the de facto top seed at the WTA 1000 event.
She could face teen sensation Coco Gauff in the third round should both women win their first two matches.
But before that, Badosa could face two-time champion Halep in just the second round.
In the same quarter, Ons Jabeur and Belinda Bencic could set a rematch of their recent Charleston Open final in just the third round too, offering the Jabeur a chance to avenge her loss to the Swiss there.
US Open finalists Emma Raducanu and Leylah Fernandez occupy the same quarter at the top of the draw, meaning they could set a rematch of their New York battle in the quarter-finals.
First off Raducanu faces Czech Tereza Martincova for the second time in two weeks after the two met in Billie Jean King Cup qualifiers on 15th April, the Brit winning that day.
Fernandez will likely take on three-time Madrid champion and two-time Slam champion Kvitova in the second round.
Big hitters Osaka and Maria Sakkari could meet in just the third round, before the winner could take on 2019 US Open champion Bianca Andreescu in the quarter-finals.
Azarenka and Sabalenka are on course to meet in the third round also.
ATP
As mentioned, Djokovic and Nadal have the chance to meet for the first time since Roland Garros last year.
Placed in the same half of the draw, the pair would face in the semi-finals should both make it that far.
In Djokovic’s quarter, former Slam champions Murray and Thiem meet in the first round, with the victor potentially meeting the world number one in the third round.
Ugo Humbert and Denis Shapovalov are drawn together in a mouth-watering first round match-up, while Diego Schwartzman takes on maverick Frenchman Benoit Paire.
Nadal versus Alcaraz would of course be an enticing match-up should they face-off in the quarter-finals for their third career encounter.
Their first battle came in Madrid last year when Nadal taught the teen a lesson on his 18th birthday.
Monte Carlo champion Tsitsipas could meet Grigor Dimitrov in the third round in what would be an eye-catching show with the shotmaking capabilities of both men.
Projected quarter-finals by seeding
WTA
Muguruza vs Rybakina
Sakkari vs Collins
Pliskova vs Sabalenka
Badosa vs Jabeur
ATP
Djokovic vs Ruud
Nadal vs Alcaraz
Rublev vs Tsitsipas
Auger-Aliassime vs Zverev
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