Six reasons why Madrid is one of the most anticipated tennis events

The Madrid Masters has traditionally been a heavily anticipated event on the tennis calendar. From 2009, when the originally hardcourt event underwent a complete makeover and decided to wear the garb of a claycourt tournament, to the unveiling of the oceanic blue courts in 2012 – Madrid has managed to generate enough frenzy amongst tennis aficionados.

Perhaps there couldn’t have been a better time for tennis to arrive this year at the Spanish capital’s Caja Magica. The Spaniards, known for their unbridled passion for sports, just had a heartbreaking result at the UEFA Champions League with two of their biggest clubs biting the dust in spectacular fashion. The return of this prestigious tennis event, to a certain extent, might just act as a panacea for those wounded and crestfallen souls.

And so, much like last year, Madrid returns with a lot of questions waiting to be answered. The prospect of all the top ATP and WTA stars attending this tournament makes it the most eagerly-awaited precursor to the French Open. Many of the big names are yet to slide on the red clay even once this year, which makes Madrid (in spite of its high altitude and high-flying balls) a must-watch competition. Yes, red clay! After the commotion the blue clay created last year, tournament honcho Ion Tiriac had to drop his novel idea and revert to the good old red clay.

As the main draw of the tournament has just got underway, let’s take a look at some of the most compelling questions which the Madrid Masters will answer over the course of the next week –

ATP

1. How is Federer’s form after the sabbatical?

As Novak Djokovic was denying Rafael Nadal another piece of history at Monte Carlo and as Rafa was yet again lifting the 12kg Trofeo Conde de Godó at Barcelona, this man was nowhere to be seen. Roger Federer had retreated into his own paradise with the only public appearance being at the St. Jakob Stadium to show solidarity to his childhood club, FC Basel, as they took on Chelsea in Europa League semi-finals. No matter what, this guy, Roger Federer, even at this ripe old age of 31, adds another dimension to the whole competition, and he was truly missed. This will be his first appearance since the back injury-induced thrashing he received at the hands of Rafa at Indian Wells and it will be interesting to see how he responds as the defending champion in Caja Magica.

2. Can Novak continue the momentum?

Novak Djokovic entered Monte Carlo, the official Rafa den for the last eight years, with countless doubts and questions hovering around his ankle injury sustained during Davis Cup duty. But he emerged unscathed, showing his most belligerent self and etched his own name in record books. This 25-year-old Serb’s hunger just remains unquenchable and his spirit indomitable as ever. No wonder the numero uno ranked player is now the only player to have captured eight of the existing nine Masters events. He was one of those dissident voices last year against blue clay and had slipped early in the Spanish capital. With the soaring confidence of the Monte Carlo victory and also having mastered Rafa in his backyard in 2011, Novak might just want to continue his upward surge right before Roland Garros begins.

3. How many points will Rafa gain?

Yes, this is the most intriguing and compelling question for the King of Clay. Having whitewashed the red clay season last year, the blue clay was his only blip in an otherwise staggering clay resume. Naturally, when Rafa made a return to the ATP circuit after a seven-month hiatus, he was in desperate need of points after having abdicated his position inside the top four. Madrid gives him exactly that opportunity since he was pounded by his compatriot Fernando Verdasco in the pre-quarter-finals last year. Depending on his performance here, it will be decided how close the home favourite can get to the current No. 4 David Ferrer and if he has a remote chance of overtaking him before the Roland Garros seeding is announced.

WTA

1. Who will be No. 1 after Madrid?

Top seed Serena Williams and second seed Maria Sharapova will be the cynosure of all eyes as a shift of the topmost ranking looms large after Madrid. The difference is 875 points and both ladies will be fighting tooth and nail for it. Perhaps the balance tilts in favour of defending champion Serena who has already got a feel of the clay by clinching Charleston this year. Also the fact that Sharapova never made it past the quarter-finals of this event, doesn’t apparently provide encouraging opportunities for the Russian to jump back to the world No. 1 ranking. But Sharapova comes with supreme confidence, having just completed a coveted Career Slam last year and she also glided to another victory in Stuttgart this season. Naturally, both their progresses during the next week will be followed with the utmost attention.

2. How will Azarenka perform?

The top two seeds might get the lion’s share of attention but there are some determined competitors out there who wouldn’t bow out easily. Victoria Azarenka is one of them who is appearing for the first time since her walkover to Caroline Wozniacki in Indian Wells due to ankle injury. Azarenka’s claycourt credentials might pale in comparison to her hard court achievements but the Spanish capital remains a happy hunting ground for this two-time Madrid runner-up. With an amazing 17-0 record for the season, the reigning Australian Open champion couldn’t have asked for a better place to kickstart her campaign on the dirt. Azarenka’s sizzling form is further attested by the fact that she is just one of two women to have defeated Serena this year, but her Madrid journey starts with a complicated opener against Oeiras winner Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.

3. How will the Italians and Serbians fare?

One can never count out the resurgent Italians and the Serbians who, with their claycourt prowess, have always looked ominous on this surface. For world No. 7 Sara Errani, who captured Acapulco, and world No. 12 Roberta Vinci, who rolled through Katowice Open, Stuttgart performances were an anomaly after the euphoria of the Fed Cup. The bulk of the points received last year were on clay for both of them and it will be exciting to see them bounce back at the Madrid event. 2008 French Open champion Ana Ivanovic and former World No. 1 Jelena Jankovic have also been displaying promising form. Jankovic had emerged victorious in Bogota and reached the Charleston final while Ivanovic gave glimpses of her brilliance in Stuttgart. The draw has been unkind to them with the two of them scheduled to have a potential second round meeting. But if they can show a semblance of consistency, both have the natural ability to baffle most of the top seeds.