Madrid 2022 should be epic

Bubcay

Bubcay

Legend
Novak, Rafa, Alcaraz - and the rest of the usual suspects.

Hoping for a Novak vs Alcaraz match, followed by the winner vs. Rafa.

ESPN in Spanish (Google translation included below).

espndeportes.espn.com

Djokovic y Swiatek, anotados en Madrid

Los responsables del torneo, que se disputará del 26 de abril al 8 de mayo en la capital española, confirmaron la presencia del número uno del mundo, ganador en las ediciones de 2011, 2016 y 2019.
espndeportes.espn.com espndeportes.espn.com


Djokovic, Alcaraz, Swiatek and Badosa scored in the Madrid Masters 1000

Novak Djokovic, number one in the world, the Spaniards Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz, the German Alexander Zverev, the Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas and the Italian Matteo Berrettini appear among those enrolled in the Madrid Masters 1000, in whose female category they have confirmed their participation Polish Iga Swiatek, who heads the WTA list, and Spaniards Paula Badosa and Garbiñe Muguruza, third and ninth rackets on the circuit, respectively.
Those responsible for the tournament, which will be held from April 26 to May 8 in the Spanish capital, confirmed the presence of Djokovic, winner in the 2011, 2016 and 2019 editions, who has missed the Australian Open and the tournaments of Indian Wells and Miami for not being vaccinated against COVID.
Also featured in the draw are the two best players in the ATP since the start of this season. Rafa Nadal, winner in Australia and finalist in Indian Wells, and Carlos Alcaraz, champion in Miami, who will face each other again on the Caja Mágica courts , where they already met in 2021 with a victory for
The entry list in the men's category is completed by the current champion, the German Alexander Zverev, and some finalists from previous editions such as the Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas (2019), the Austrian Dominic Thiem (2017 and 2018) and the Italian Matteo Berrettini (2021), in addition to his compatriot Jannik Sinner or the Canadians Felix Auger-Aliassime and Denis Shapovalov.
In the women's draw, in addition to Iga Swiatek, new number one in the world, and the Spanish Paula Badosa, semifinalist in 2021, and Garbiñe Muguruza, there is the current champion, the Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka, fifth on the WTA list, Simona Halep, champion in 2016 and 2017, Karolina Pliskova, Victoria Azarenka and Angelique Kerber.
Novak Djokovic in Madrid. App Photo
 
MONTE CARLO....

61elM84-JML._AC_SL1000_.jpg
 
dapchai said:
I know, and it's 5 years ago.
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Its sandwiched between 2 of his best tournaments, so maybe Rafa conserves a little energy in Madrid, knowing that the conditions there don't make him odds on overwhelming favourite for the title as the other clay tournaments do.
 
Visionary said:
@Bubcay excellent thread; and, absolutely epic coming at us soon.

I just hope Novak is allowed to play; ATP tour needs him back.
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I agree 100%.

It is best when all the healthy players are able to play.

Tennis is one of the rare sports where the host countries' immigration rules and policies (not the rules of the governing organisation) determine who can compete.
 
Fiero425 said:
That blue court got Federer a Madrid Masters and facilitated him getting to #1 for a while in 2012 taking Wimbledon later that Summer! :unsure: :giggle::whistle::cautious::rolleyes:
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it's not 2012, Fed's blue and red's back

let's put Ilie Nastase's invention and Roger's lucky red-blue moment behind when it comes to traditional clay season!
 
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Bubcay said:
It is best when all the healthy players are able to play.

Tennis is one of the rare sports where the host countries' immigration rules and policies (not the rules of the governing organisation) determine who can compete.
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I wish you could've been the Aussie PM at the start of 2022 (sorry for my emotions)
 
socallefty said:
Especially if you don’t pay attention to the GOAT race much and just want to watch matches on TV or in person all year long.
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Tennis TV subscription opened my eyes to the wonderful world of ATP 1000, 500 and 250, as before I was not able to see many matches, other than the GSs. So much quality tennis, dreams and efforts go unnoticed if you only focus on slams.
 
Visionary said:
it's not 2012, Fed's blue and red's back

let's put Ilie Nastase's invention and Roger's lucky red-blue moment behind when it comes to traditional clay season!
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It was Ion Tiriac with the bright idea to mix a blue dye onto the court that made it quite slippery! :D :-D:laughing::giggle:
 
Rafa4LifeEver said:
Its sandwiched between 2 of his best tournaments, so maybe Rafa conserves a little energy in Madrid, knowing that the conditions there don't make him odds on overwhelming favourite for the title as the other clay tournaments do.
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The clay there is nothing similar to MC or Rome or RG. It was an ill move of ATP to make it a clay tourney from indoor hard then replace it by Shanghai and downgrade Hamburg. Rafa playing Madrid now just to please his die hard fans there (and sometimes the Spanish nobles...)
 
dapchai said:
The clay there is nothing similar to MC or Rome or RG. It was an ill move of ATP to make it a clay tourney from indoor hard then replace it by Shanghai and downgrade Hamburg. Rafa playing Madrid now just to please his die hard fans there (and sometimes the Spanish nobles...)
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The machinations of Tiriac (the event's owner) with the ATP and China (who wanted Shanghai to be compensated when it lost the WTF to London). Switching from indoor hard to clay was designed to make it easier for Nadal to win titles there given he had only won it once on hardcourt (2005).
 
dapchai said:
The clay there is nothing similar to MC or Rome or RG. It was an ill move of ATP to make it a clay tourney from indoor hard then replace it by Shanghai and downgrade Hamburg. Rafa playing Madrid now just to please his die hard fans there (and sometimes the Spanish nobles...)
Click to expand...
It is not the Madrid clay that is too different, but the high altitude which makes it a faster court than other red clay tournaments in Europe.
 
socallefty said:
It is not the Madrid clay that is too different, but the high altitude which makes it a faster court than other red clay tournaments in Europe.
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That! I'd be interested to know the difference. How much faster are the balls there? How does the altitude affect the spin too? Then, how much does the altitude influence the athletes' breathing and Oxygen intake? I mean how big difference that all is in the long run?
 
Mainad said:
Switching from indoor hard to clay was designed to make it easier for Nadal to win titles there given he had only won it once on hardcourt (2005).
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Evidence? So the ATP could predict that Rafa would not have won more in Madrid had it still been an indoor HC event? Or you mean he wouldn't have won more in Hamburg? Or they wanted him to win more at his "home" tourney?
socallefty said:
It is not the Madrid clay that is too different, but the high altitude which makes it a faster court than other red clay tournaments in Europe.
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My eye test shows that the bounce is also lower than the other three major clay events, but maybe it's also because of the altitude.
 
dapchai said:
Evidence? So the ATP could predict that Rafa would not have won more in Madrid had it still been an indoor HC event? Or you mean he wouldn't have won more in Hamburg? Or they wanted him to win more at his "home" tourney?
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Well, it's hardly a secret that indoor hardcourt is by far the weakest surface for Nadal (given he's only ever won 1 title on it). Encouraging Nadal and other Spanish players to become more successful at their country's premier tournament and therefore make it more popular for the home fans was the major factor in deciding to switch to clay.
 
Mainad said:
Well, it's hardly a secret that indoor hardcourt is by far the weakest surface for Nadal (given he's only ever won 1 title on it). Encouraging Nadal and other Spanish players to become more successful at their country's premier tournament and therefore make it more popular for the home fans was the major factor in deciding to switch to clay.
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You're saying that the ATP tour is pandering to what Nadal wants?o_O
 
dapchai said:
Nadal's mostly a nonfactor at Madrid. It's like he won there one billion years ago.
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Of course, after more than two decades, Nadal is the tennis player with the most titles in the history of that tournament.
:rolleyes:
 
Mainad said:
Well, it's hardly a secret that indoor hardcourt is by far the weakest surface for Nadal (given he's only ever won 1 title on it). Encouraging Nadal and other Spanish players to become more successful at their country's premier tournament and therefore make it more popular for the home fans was the major factor in deciding to switch to clay.
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Playing Madrid has affected him more than benefited him.
If that tournament were played in another country, the Spaniard would only play three tournaments on clay before RG and he would have more energy reserves to face the grass season.
It is possible that he would have signed up for Queens after 2015 if he had ruled out a clay tournament, and thus, he would have arrived more prepared to go as far as possible at Wimbledon, or at least, he would play there more rested, and so his chances of winning increased a little more.
:D
 
junior74 said:
Always was
AdorableAmusingBangeltiger-max-1mb.gif
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I saw Rafa do this after he hit the serve he wanted into Novak's body in their AO '19 Final! It would jam most players, but Nole smacked a forehand service return winner! Nadal snapped making this MEME! I can watch that final over and over! Both played well, but Novak was in "Gawd-Mode!" :D :-D:laughing::giggle:
 
Fiero425 said:
I saw Rafa do this after he hit the serve he wanted into Novak's body in their AO '19 Final! It would jam most players, but Nole smacked a forehand service return winner! Nadal snapped making this MEME! I can watch that final over and over! Both played well, but Novak was in "Gawd-Mode!" :D :-D:laughing::giggle:
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The Cinco De Mayo kit makes the gif even better. Only the '18 Baby Shower Edition can top it :D

Novak played a clean final for sure.
 
Mainad said:
Well, it's hardly a secret that indoor hardcourt is by far the weakest surface for Nadal (given he's only ever won 1 title on it). Encouraging Nadal and other Spanish players to become more successful at their country's premier tournament and therefore make it more popular for the home fans was the major factor in deciding to switch to clay.
Click to expand...
In hindsight it's clear Rafa is not as successful on indoor hard as on other surfaces, but I don't think ATP could even predict that back in 2008 when they decided to change Madrid's surface. And JCF even won it already in 2003. Also, Barca is a more prestigious tournament and I think Spanish players love playing there more.
 
dapchai said:
In hindsight it's clear Rafa is not as successful on indoor hard as on other surfaces, but I don't think ATP could even predict that back in 2008 when they decided to change Madrid's surface. And JCF even won it already in 2003. Also, Barca is a more prestigious tournament and I think Spanish players love playing there more.
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It was always known that clay was Rafa's best surface and the favoured surface for most Spanish players. That was instrumental in Tiriac negotiating with the ATP for Madrid to take Hamburg's place as one of the spring Clay Masters. Madrid is a Masters 1000 which makes it Spain's premier tennis tournament and Tiriac and the Spanish tennis establishment wanted to make it as accessible as possible for Rafa and the other Spanish players.
 
Mainad said:
It was always known that clay was Rafa's best surface and the favored surface for most Spanish players. That was instrumental in Tiriac negotiating with the ATP for Madrid to take Hamburg's place as one of the spring Clay Masters. Madrid is a Masters 1000 which makes it Spain's premier tennis tournament and Tiriac and the Spanish tennis establishment wanted to make it as accessible as possible for Rafa and the other Spanish players.
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Tennis can be like other sports with their premiere events/venues depending on if a country has a top-flight player or not! It was obvious why Germany had 6 major events on both the ladies and men's tour due to Steffi Graf and Boris Becker! Anyone remember the "Grand Slam Cup?" It was just another YE Tourney just handed over to Deutschland back in the 90's! I'm surprised there aren't more events in Spain with so many players from there including Nadal! :D :-D:laughing::giggle:
 
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