Djokovic Seeks Momentum at Madrid Masters

MADRID, SATURDAY — The beginning of the competition season on clay courts is not an ideal moment for Novak Djokovic. He is not setting high targets in the ATP Masters 1000 Madrid tournament, but rather is "only" looking for one victory to build momentum.

Djokovic will compete in the Madrid Masters tournament at Caja Magica, Madrid, Spain, from April 22 to May 4, and will begin his match in the second round after receiving a bye in the first round. He will face Matteo Arnaldi on Saturday (April 26, 2025) afternoon local time.

Djokovic played in Madrid after losing in the first match of another clay court tournament, the Monte Carlo Masters, from April 6 to 13. Like in Madrid, as one of the seeded players, Djokovic entered directly in the second round in Monte Carlo. He faced Alejandro Tabillo and lost with a score of 3-6, 4-6.

This marked the second defeat for Djokovic in the opening matches of the ATP Masters 1000 tournament in 2025. Previously, he also lost in the second round at the Indian Wells Masters to Botic van de Zandschulp. Only at the Miami Masters did the former world number one manage to advance far, reaching the final. However, his chance to secure the 100th title of his career was thwarted by the 19-year-old Czech player, Jakub Mensik.

Therefore, when asked what he hopes to achieve in the tournament in Madrid, Djokovic had a simple answer. "I want to win at least one match and build momentum from that," Djokovic said in an interview with the staff of the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP).

The momentum he meant was in terms of clay court appearances, mental readiness, and adaptation to various situations on the court. This is because Djokovic has just appeared again in Madrid after last playing in 2022. At that time, he lost in the semifinals to Carlos Alcaraz who was absent from the 2025 Madrid Masters due to a left hamstring injury.

The tennis player, who has 24 Grand Slam titles, must build on that momentum to compete in the French Open, the premier tournament on clay courts. In addition to Alcaraz as the defending champion, the French Open will also see the return of Jannik Sinner, who missed the tournament from February 9 to May 4 due to a suspension related to a doping case.

Playing on clay courts is different from hard courts, which yielded semifinal results at the Australian Open and the final at the Miami Masters for Djokovic. He must adapt to moving by sliding and hitting the ball with high and slow bounces. As a consequence of the slow court characteristics, Djokovic also has to anticipate lengthy matches, as the battle for each point tends to last longer compared to play on hard courts.

"I want to be able to compete with the best tennis players here to achieve performance at a high level at Roland Garros," said Djokovic, the champion of the French Open in 2016, 2021, and 2023.

The tennis player, who will turn 38 on May 22, has frequently struggled to compete against the younger generation of players, particularly Alcaraz and Sinner. Djokovic has not even secured a Grand Slam title or an ATP Masters 1000 title in 2024.

However, the Serbian tennis player was still able to prove himself as the best when he won the gold medal at the Paris 2024 Olympics. The medal, which complements his collection of titles from major events, was obtained on the clay courts of Roland Garros, the venue for the French Open.

In the matches that took place on Friday, almost all of the seeded players in the top half of the draw won their second-round matches. The victory was achieved by the 2018 and 2021 Madrid Masters champion, who is the top seed, Alexander Zverev. The German player won against Roberto Bautista Agut, 6-2, 6-2, and will face Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the third round.

Other top seeds won, including Taylor Fritz (3), Ben Shelton (12), and Casper Ruud (14). Defending champion Andrey Rublev (7), and Daniil Medvedev (9) won by walkover (WO) against Gael Monfils and Lasio Djere who withdrew before the match. Meanwhile, ATP 500 Barcelona champion Holger Rune (8) lost to Flavio Cobolli.

The top ten women's singles players at the same venue also won their second-round matches. Aryna Sabalenka (1), Jessica Pegula (3), Jasmine Paolini (6), and Elena Rybakina (10) defeated their opponents, respectively, in two-set matches.

Sabalenka, who won 6-3, 6-4 against Anna Blinkova, stated that she is still adapting to playing on clay courts despite having competed in the WTA 500 Stuttgart the week before.

"Unlike on hard courts, I have time to think on clay courts because the game is slower. However, I do not know if playing on clay can be considered easier or not because sometimes, I am still confused about how to adjust," he said on the official WTA website.

The world number one tennis player lost to Jelena Ostapenko in the Stuttgart final. She hopes to elevate her level of play in Madrid at a higher category tournament, namely WTA 1000. Moreover, Sabalenka has a good track record in Madrid, having won the championship in 2021 and 2023, before losing to Iga Swiatek in the 2024 final. (AFP/AP)