Today begins two of the most grueling weeks on the tennis calendar, with back-to-back combined ATP Masters and WTA Premier events. On the men’s side, the big question is can anyone gain enough traction to contend with Rafael Nadal at Roland Garros? The 10-time French Open champion hasn’t dropped a set on clay since last May. On the women’s side, no one’s been able to distance themselves from the pack as Nadal has. Can anyone step up and become the top contender for the title in Paris?
Ubitennis previews the two must-see matches at the Madrid Open on Monday.
Novak Djokovic vs. Kei Nishikori
Embed from Getty Images
Embed from Getty Images
Having gone just 5-5 on the year, Djokovic has re-hired much of his former team, including Marian Vajda. While Novak has talked about finally playing pain-free, his results remain puzzling at best. He was outplayed by Dominic Thiem in Monte Carlo, which is nothing to be ashamed of, but more concerning was the upset by Martin Klizan in Barcelona. Since his last major title in Paris two years ago, Djokovic has only won three tournaments. Nishikori has also struggled to come back from injury in 2018. After what seemed to be a breakthrough in reaching the Monte Carlo final, it was disappointing to see him icing his wrist immediately after the match. He then withdrew from Barcelona due to the ongoing wrist issue. Kei only has two career victories over Novak, with Djokovic winning all of their meetings since being upset in their 2014 US Open semifinal. But this is a very different Novak Djokovic in 2018. If Kei’s wrist were 100%, he’d be the favorite, but it doesn’t appear it is. This is a good opportunity for Djokovic to get a solid win over a tough opponent as he looks to find his way again.
Karolina Pliskova vs. Victoria Azarenka
A week has gone by since Pliskova won her biggest title to date on the clay at the Stuttgart Open. Previously not thought of as a clay court player, Karolina has proven otherwise. Pliskova is also a defending French Open semifinalist. Meanwhile this is just Azarenka’s fifth tournament in two years, following the birth of her first child and the subsequent custody battle that prevented her from traveling with her child. Azarenka is also a former Roland Garros semifinalist, but clay is her weakest surface. Only one of her 20 career titles has come on clay. These two just met a few weeks ago in Miami, with Azarenka upsetting Pliskova. While Karolina is the better clay player and in better form, she’s also struggled in her career to be consistent week-to-week. She cannot afford to have an off day against a hungry Azarenka.
