The draw has been made for the Mutua Madrid Open.
Rafael Nadal will start the quest for his fourth title of the season against in-form Serb Miomir Kecmanovic or Alexander Bublik. His potential round of 16 opponent would be No.16-seeded Pablo Carreno Busta.
Our champ, Carlos Alcaraz, and Novak Djokovic are all in the top half of the Madrid draw and there is a possibility of the two Spaniards going head-to-head in the quarter-finals.
Rafa’s potential route to the final:
- 1st round: Bye
- 2nd round: Miomir Kecmanovic or Alexander Bublik
- 3rd round: Pablo Carreno Busta
- Quarter-final: Carlos Alcaraz
- Semi-final: Novak Djokovic
- Final: Alexander Zverev
Projected quarterfinals:
- Novak Djokovic vs Casper Ruud
- Rafael Nadal vs Carlos Alcaraz
- Andrey Rublev vs Stefanos Tsitsipas
- Felix Auger-Aliassime vs Alexander Zverev
A five-time champion in Madrid, Rafa takes a stunning 20-1 win-loss record into his Madrid opener, having kicked off his season with a three-title sweep before placing runner-up in the California desert.
He will be hoping to get back into form as he builds to the French Open, which he will be aiming to win for a record-extending 14th time.
Goof luck & Vamos Rafa!
Source: ATP Tour
Rafa is used to tough draws and I try to only focus on his first two matches. Unfortunately, they are very challenging. I am not looking for Rafa to win, but I did hope that he could go deep. That is as much for me since I love to see Rafa play. A tournament is not the same without him.
Will Nadal play the day or evening session on a possible quarter final match?
Good luck, Rafa! Vamos! ✌
Rafael Nadal handed nightmare Australian Open 2022 draw
The above was from January and our champ handled that just fine:) This draw is simply ‘tough.’ Winning Madrid is not a must for our champ.
As long as Rafa is in good shape, he will be okay.
Go get it champ!
Good luck rafa and keep healthy and get that trophy
Hope it shall be shades of the preparation for the AO 2022…supposed practice but real matches, all won up to and including the major.
Repeat, please!
¡OJALA!
All the best, Rafa. Welcome back-stay healthy and confident. A tough draw cannot compare to what you have overcome in the last year! We are thrilled to have you back on court👏💪👍🤛🍀🎾❤️
Good luck and Vamos Rafa❤️
I say the bigger they come , the harder they fall . A tough draw but that means a good tuneup for Rafa .The possibility of playing Alcaraz and Novak and Sasha makes for exciting tennis and Rafa will need to serve well and get the CV first serve in at more than 70% to control these matches .
No worries…Not the first tough draw for Rafa… Bring it on Your fighting spirit and show your A game….win or loss doesn’t matter in this Tournament
That’s perfectly Ok. This is a first step to test himself after recovering and it’s about the bigger picture. I’m sure the others aren’t happy to face him either, but that’s why it’s called “luck of the draw”