Madrid Open: Nadal, Zverev practice together ahead of face-off among clay's 'Big 5'

Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Alexander Zverev will be in the same clay event for the first time this season at the Madrid Open. 

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Pegged as favourites to clinch the Madrid Open, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz, Stefanos Tsitsipas, and Alexander Zverev will be in the same clay-court event for the first time this season in the Spanish capital. 

Ahead of the clash between clay's 'Big 5', Spanish ace Rafael Nadal, who is making a comeback after staying out of action for six weeks, was seen practising along with Germany's Alexander Zverev, whose form has been patchy since his disqualification from the Mexican Open in February for attacking the umpire’s chair with his racquet.

The five players are considered the favourites for the French Open later this month and there could be some intriguing matches in store this week. However, Nadal and Zverev looked relaxed ahead of the tournament as they exchanged few words and smiles at the La Caja Magica on Monday.

Watch: Nadal, Zverev practice together

The 21-time Grand Slam winner holds a 54-13 record in Madrid, where the high altitude and quicker conditions have not suited his game as well as other clay events. The Spaniard has won the Madrid Open five times, the last being in 2017. 

Given that Nadal has just recovered from a stress fracture in his ribs suffered during the Indian Wells, it will be interesting to see if he goes all the way in the tournament.

On Sunday, Nadal criticised Wimbledon's ban on Russian and Belarusian players, due to which the likes of Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev will miss out on the Grand Slam. "I think it's very unfair [on] my Russian tennis mates, my colleagues. It's not their fault what's happening at this moment with the war," the Australian Open 2022 winner said ahead of his return to action in Madrid.

After featuring in this year's Madrid Open, Nadal will head to the Italian Open in Rome, where he is the defending champion, before reclaiming the trophy at Roland Garros and winning the 14th title.

As for Zverev, the German has struggled with his form since the Mexico Open outburst. He lost early in Indian Wells, fell to Tsitsipas in straight sets in Monte Carlo, and was beaten 6-3 6-2 by 18-year-old Holger Rune as the top seed in Munich last week.

In Madrid last year, Zverev was impressive as he came through a tough draw to win the title, losing only one set as he beat Kei Nishikori, Dan Evans, Nadal, Dominic Thiem and Matteo Berrettini. He will need to find that level again if he is going to defend his title and then challenges in Rome and Paris.

All eyes will also be on World No.1 Novak Djokovic, who has missed most of the first quarter of the season owing to his unvaccinated status against Covid-19. However, the Serb spent over 10 hours on court in Belgrade, grinding his way to the final where he lost to Andrey Rublev. Djokovic also suffered an early exit in Monte Carlo. It will be interesting to see if things will come together for the 20-time Grand Slam winner ahead of the French Open 2022.

Carlos Alcaraz, pegged as the next Rafael Nadal, has soared up to No. 9 in the world rankings on the back of three titles, including the Barcelona Open. The 18-year-old Spanish sensation has grabbed the attention of tennis enthusiasts with his powerful hitting and ability to move quickly on different surfaces. It will be interesting to see how the youngster fairs in Madrid, with the prospect of Alcaraz facing Nadal becoming the talk of the town.

Stefanos Tsitsipas may not be keen to face Alcaraz for a fourth time, as the Spaniard bagged a win in all three of their meetings that included a gripping contest in the Barcelona Open quarter-finals. The Greek ace has asserted himself as one of the players to beat on clay this season with his win at the Monte Carlo Masters. If Tsitsipas can maintain his form, he should still be in the running in Roland Garros.