By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Friday April 29, 2022
Rafael Nadal, Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic are all tucked in the top half of the Madrid draw.
Photo Source: Getty
The men’s singles is set at the Madrid Open, and once again Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz are on a collision course, in a top half of the draw that also features Novak Djokovic.
Nadal, who has yet to play on clay this year due to a stress fracture in his rib, could face Miomir Kecmanovic or Alexander Bublik in his second-round match (after a bye). The Spaniard is a five-time champion at Madrid but he will have to shake off the rust quickly, as Kecmanovic has already won five of six on clay this spring.
Nadal’s potential round of 16 opponent would be No.16-seeded Pablo Carreno Busta.
Alcaraz, seeded 7, will face Fabio Fognini or Nikoloz Basilashvili in his second-round match and could face 9th-seeded Cameron Norrie in the round of 16.
Djokovic could face Monfils first
Novak Djokovic, seeded first, could get a chance to put his 17-0 record against Gael Monfils on the line in the second round. Monfils faces Carlos Gimeno Valero in the first round.
If the seeds hold Djokovic would face Denis Shapovalov, the No.14 seed, in the round of 16, and either No.5-seeded Casper Ruud or No.9-seeded Hubert Hurkacz in the quarterfinals.
Murray v Thiem in Round 1
Also tucked into Djokovic’s portion of the top quarter are Dominic Thiem and Andy Murray. The pair will lock horns in the first round for the right to face Denis Shapovalov.
Quarterfinals, if Seeds Hold
Here are the quarterfinal matchups based on seedings:
The Full Draw: