The firmament to which the Mutua Madrid Open aspired has faded in recent days. If last Thursday Rafa Nadal announced that he would not be present in the tournament of the Spanish capital (held from April 24 to May 7), this Saturday came the resignation of Novak Djokovic. The world number 1 will not play in the Caja Mágica because he has been suffering from discomfort in his right elbow for days.
Alcaraz, on the lookout for Djokovic
In this way, ‘Nole’ will not be able to defend the points achieved in the semifinals last year, when he fell against Carlos Alcaraz, who ultimately won the tournament. The Murcian, number 2 in the ATP ranking, will have the opportunity to cut his advantage to a minimum if he manages to a double in the Godó and the Madrid event.
Djokovic has problems with his right elbow that started at the start of the European clay court tour. He has been dragging them in the two tournaments that he has played to date: Monte Carlo and Banja Luka. The inconvenience diminished the level of the Serb, who did not perform as expected in both levels, where he fell earlier than expected.
The goal is Roland Garros
Nadal announced that he will not arrive on time for the ‘home’ Masters 1,000 as he has not recovered in time from the psoas injury that he has been carrying since January 19 and that it has already doubled the time out that was initially estimated. He Balearic Islands have five victories in Madrid in their record (2005, 2010, 2013, 2014 and 2017) for the three that the Serbian has achieved (2011, 2016 and 2019).
At the bottom of the absences of both myths is Roland Garros, an appointment that is in danger for Rafa Nadal. “It had to be a six to eight week recovery period and we’re already on fourteen. The reality is that the situation is not what we would have expected. All medical indications have been followed, but somehow the evolution has not been what they initially told us and we find ourselves in a difficult situation,” said Nadal in a video where he reported his injury.
The tennis players who enter the box
Novak is also reserved and may make a first contact at the Masters 1000 in Rome to add filming for Roland Carros. Due to his absence and that of Brandon Nakashima, Michael Mmoh and Fabio Fognini enter the Madrid main draw. Nor would the Italian compete in the Mutua Matteo Berrettiniworld number 22, who suffered a grade II tear in the abdominal internal oblique muscle in Monte Carlo, which will keep him out of competition for up to six weeks.
Nadal was going to reach the fourth Masters 1000 of the year in Madrid with many doubts. the manacorí, since his retirement in AustraliaHe has missed the appointments in Doha and Dubai in February, Indian Wells and Miami in March, Monte Carlo and the Conde de Godó in Barcelona in April and the next appointment in the Caja Mágica.