The 2016 edition of the Mutua Madrid Masters is about to begin. This comes on the heels of Novak Djokovic losing his first complete match of the season (he retired from another match in Dubai before the final point was played). That happened in Monte Carlo, and of all the players who had a chance to take advantage of Djokovic’s absence, Rafael Nadal sprinted through the doorway to grab his first Masters title in nearly two years. That title came in Madrid in 2014. It was a long wait for the Spaniard, who finally seems to have his game back. Now the question becomes if Nadal can overtake Stan Wawrinka for the No. 4 seed in Paris at the French Open. If Nadal can, Djokovic could not play Nadal until the semifinals at the earliest. If Nadal is seeded fifth, he could conceivably play Djokovic in the quarterfinals, just as he did last year. There’s a lot at stake in Madrid, with eyes on France later on in the month of May.
The competition in the 56-player main draw began on Sunday, May 1.
Event Details
Event: Mutua Madrid Masters
Category: ATP World Tour – Masters 1000
Date: May 1 – 8, 2016
Location: La Caja Magica – Madrid, Spain
With a prize money allotment of over 4.7 million Euros and an overall financial commitment of over 5.7 million, the Madrid Masters represents the next big chance for the members of the ATP Tour to take home a significant paycheck. It is the first Masters event in two weeks, following Monte Carlo. It is the first part of the two-week run of Masters events, with the Rome Masters being the very next week. These two weeks on the calendar won’t decide the big one in Paris, the French Open, but they will put in place the seedings for the second Grand Slam event of the year and the only clay-court championship among the four majors.
The points structure under the ATP system is that the championship means 1,000 points. A runner-up finish is worth 600. A semifinal result is 360 points, and a quarterfinal appearance offers 180 points. A round-of-16 results provides 90 points, a round-of-32 showing 45 points.
Former Champions and Results (5 Years)
Year Champion Runner-up Score
2015 – Andy Murray def. Rafael Nadal – 6-3, 6-2
2014 – Rafael Nadal def. Kei Nishikori – 2-6, 6-4, 3-0 (ret.)
2013 – Rafael Nadal def. Stan Wawrinka – 6-2, 6-4
2012 – Roger Federer def. Tomas Berdych – 3-6, 7-5, 7-5
2011 – Novak Djokovic def. Rafael Nadal – 7-5, 6-4
Player Info:
Like most of the Masters tournaments on the yearly ATP Tour schedule, the Madrid tournament has a 56-player main draw with the top eight seeds getting a bye in the opening round. Everybody who matters in men’s tennis is going to participate in this tournament: Novak Djokovic, Stan Wawrinka, and Andy Murray will be in Madrid. Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Tomas Berdych, David Ferrer, and Kei Nishikori will be in Spain as well.
A lot of people will be keeping a close eye on Nadal, who has had a rough start the year but is coming off a strong performance. He is fresh off his first Masters event victory in nearly two years. It looks like his tennis career is back on track and while he might be in his twilight, he is still the king of the clay court. When he’s on his game, nobody will beat him. The question is whether or now the Masters event victory was an aberration or a trend. We’ll find out more in Madrid.
One player who won’t be is 2014 U.S. Open champion Marin Cilic, who is joined by John Isner of the United States as another absentee. For the most part, though, this is a stacked field with the top players healthy.
La Caja Magica
The Caja Magica, also known as The Magic Box, is a tennis complex comprised of a big stadium court and two other fairly large show courts. La Caja Magica has hosted the Madrid tournament since 2009. In 2012, the event used blue clay before going back to the standard red clay ever since. The blue clay was a cool look for a short period of time, but many viewers found it a bit confusing as blue is the typical color for the hard surface while red is the traditional color for clay.
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