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The main draw action at the 2022 Madrid Open is set to begin on April 28. Last year, Aryna Sabalenka triumphed over then World No. 1 Ashleigh Barty in the final. On the men's side, Alexander Zverev defeated Matteo Berrettini to emerge victorious in the title round.
Rafael Nadal is the protagonist of the clay season every year. However, an injury caused him to miss the Monte-Carlo Masters and the Barcelona Open this year. His participation in Madrid was also uncertain, but the King of Clay recently confirmed that he'll be competing in the tournament.
World No. 1 Novak Djokovic hasn't participated in many tournaments this year, but with vaccine mandates being relaxed in most countries, he's eligible to compete now. He returns to the Madrid Open aiming for a fourth title in the competition.
Four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka is also set to begin her clay season at the Madrid Open. A former quarterfinalist at the tournament, she endured a tumultuous clay season last year and will be hoping for a much smoother time.
World No. 1 Iga Swiatek is riding a 23-match winning streak and has won four tournaments in a row. She'll be looking to continue her dominance of the WTA tour with yet another title in Madrid.
Most of the top players from both tours are accounted for at the Madrid Open, yet there are a few who won't be participating in this year's edition. Here's a look at the seven top players who won't be competing in the 2022 Madrid Open.
#7 Barbora Krejcikova
Reigning Roland Garros champion Barbora Krejcikova continues to be on the sidelines due to an elbow injury. She lost in the second round of the Qatar Open in singles and was unable to finish her doubles quarterfinal, retiring halfway through the second set of the clash.
Krejcikova has since missed the Indian Wells Open, the Miami Open and now the Madrid Open. There's no timeline for the Czech's return and with Roland Garros just a month away, it doesn't bode well for her title defense there.
#6 Anett Kontaveit
Anett Kontaveit has been in fine form since the second half of 2021. Last year, she won four titles and reached three more finals. The Estonian has continued her good run of form this year as well. She won the St. Petersburg Ladies Trophy and was the runner-up at the Qatar Open.
Kontaveit also reached the semifinals in Sydney and the quarterfinals in Stuttgart last week. However, the World No. 6 has fallen ill, forcing her to skip the Madrid Open this time.
#5 Elina Svitolina
This has been a testing year for Elina Svitolina. She started the season on a losing note, bowing out in the opening rounds of her first couple of tournaments. Svitolina reached the third round of the Australian Open, but made an early exit yet again during the Middle East swing.
Her home country Ukraine was then invaded by Russia, which caused her further anguish. She, along with other players from the country, raised their voices against the atrocities committed by the Russian regime. The 27-year-old headed to the Monterrey Open next, where she reached the quarterfinals and dedicated her performance to her homeland.
After back-to-back first-round exits in Indian Wells and Miami, Svitolina announced a hiatus from the game. She has been dealing with physical issues, particularly back pain, and her mental health took a hit due to the Russian invasion as well.
As such, she's skipping the Madrid Open, with no set date for her return.
#4 Matteo Berrettini
Matteo Berrettini reached the final of a Masters 1000 tournament for the first time at last year's Madrid Open. However, he won't be participating in this year's edition.
Berrettini withdrew from the Miami Open due to a right hand injury. After consultations with experts, it was revealed that the best course of action for him was to undergo surgery to treat the issue. The Italian missed the Monte-Carlo Masters and is set to skip the Masters events in Madrid and Rome as well to recover completely.
#3 Angelique Kerber
Three-time Grand Slam champion Angelique Kerber has had a rough year so far. She lost in the first round of the Australian Open, mainly due to insufficient prep after testing positive for COVID-19 during the off-season.
Kerber then lost in the first round of the Qatar Open as well, after leading by a set and a break. She showed signs of resurgence by reaching the fourth round of the Indian Wells Open, where she put up a fight but lost to Iga Swiatek in three sets.
Kerber was unable to build on this result, losing in the first rounds at Miami and Stuttgart to Naomi Osaka and Anett Kontaveit respectively. An illness has now forced her out of the Madrid Open as well, but she's expected to be back in action at the Italian Open.
#2 Daniil Medvedev
2021 US Open champion Daniil Medvedev made a great start to the season by reaching the Australian Open final. He almost won the title as well, racing to a two-set lead against Rafael Nadal in the final, but eventually lost the match in five sets.
The Russian then reached the semifinals at the Mexican Open as well, losing to Nadal once again. However, he still became the World No. 1 following the conclusion of the tournament.
Following Medvedev's quarterfinal loss at the Miami Open, he underwent hernia surgery. He's set to miss the Madrid Open as he's still recovering, and is likely to skip the entire clay season as well.
With Wimbledon banning Russian and Belarusian players from competing in the tournament this year, it could be a while before Medvedev is back on tour.
#1 Serena Williams
Serena Williams is a two-time champion at the Madrid Open, but she won't be participating this year.
The American hasn't played at all since getting injured during her first-round match at Wimbledon last year. Williams hinted at participating in this year's Australian Open, but then withdrew prior to the start of the tournament.
The former World No. 1 recently alluded to making a comeback at Wimbledon. Fans are eagerly awaiting her return to the sport, but it's going to be a while before we see her competing once again.
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