The playing field of the 2023 Madrid Open looks different from last year, especially in the ATP, where two-thirds of the “Big 3” are not present.
Novak Djokovic is the only one who’s going to play among those three, as Roger Federer has already retired and injuries continue to derail Rafael Nadal’s comeback.
Meanwhile, over in the women’s division, Iga Swiatek is back after an injury layoff, and the Madrid Open 2023 odds back her to go far in Madrid.
SBOTOP tennis fans will be in for a fun treat when Carlos Alcaraz and Ons Jabeur begin their title defence, and these two are currently competing in Barcelona and Stuttgart, respectively.
Without further ado, read on for the most recent Madrid Open 2023 updates.
Nadal’s clay season in jeopardy
There are legitimate concerns about Rafael Nadal’s clay campaign this season after he recently announced that he wouldn’t be playing in the Madrid Open.
In a video posted on his social media, Nadal hinted he is unsure about how his recovery will go over the next few weeks as he continues to deal with the hip injury that has been bothering him this year.
“The last few weeks and months have been difficult. First, it was going to be a six- to eight-week recovery period; we’re in the 14th week, and the reality is that the situation is not what we expected,” said Nadal.
“I was excited to play in the most important tournaments in my career, such as Monte Carlo, Barcelona, Madrid, Rome, and Roland Garros. So far, I’ve missed Monte Carlo and Barcelona, and I also wanted to tell you that I won’t be able to be in Madrid,” he added.
The 22-time Grand Slam winner sustained a hip flexor injury at the Australian Open, and he hasn’t been the same since. The Madrid Open will be the third tournament of the clay swing that Nadal will be missing because of injury.
The 36-year-old has won the Madrid Open five times in his career, last winning it in 2017, when he beat Dominic Thiem in straight sets.
Nadal is attempting to come back as soon as possible because he plans to defend his title at the upcoming Roland Garros, which is now just over five weeks away, but right now the 14-time French Open champion is erring on the side of caution.
“The injury still hasn’t healed, and I can’t work out what I need to compete,” Nadal said. “I was training, but a few days ago we decided to change course a bit, do another treatment, and see if things improve to try to get to what comes next.”
“I can’t give deadlines because if I knew, I would tell you, but I don’t know. This is how things are now.”
Swiatek insists she’s back at 100-per cent
Iga Swiatek is competing in the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix, the WTA 500 tournament right before the Madrid Open. She marked her return from injury by beating Zheng Qinwen in the Round of 16 in straight sets.
The top-seeded WTA player had not played since last month’s Indian Wells semi-finals as she pulled out from the Miami Open and Billie Jean King Cup qualifiers because of a rib injury.
“I’m pretty happy that I’m not rusty and I could perform good tennis, even though I had a break. It was difficult, especially because I didn’t play since Indian Wells, so I felt like I really needed to be 100% focused,” said Swiatek after the match.
“I’m not injured anymore, so that’s the most important thing for me. I feel like I used that time in Warsaw well to rest a little bit and to not think about tennis,” she added.
Assuming everything goes well in the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix, Swiatek will compete in Madrid, where she is definitely a favourite to win. Last year, the Polish hitter withdrew from Madrid amidst her 23-match win streak.
Alcaraz, Jabeur set to defend their crown
Alcaraz will return to his home country in great form as he won the Indian Wells Masters last month. He also went as far as the semi-finals of the Miami Open.
But Jabeur, meanwhile, is not in her best form. The Tunisian international dealt with injuries earlier this year, so she was a shell of herself in Indian Wells.
Carlos Alcaraz and Ons Jabeur are going to face stiff competition in Madrid, and it’ll be interesting to see how they’ll respond to the pressure of being the defending champions.
●●●
CHECK OUT OUR BLOG FOR MORE TENNIS STORIES & ODDS
Stay updated with everything sports and betting.
Follow us on social Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
