Home favourite Rafael Nadal starts practising ahead of his Madrid Open campaign, draws crowd
Apr 24, 2024
Madrid [Spain], April 24 : Home favourite Rafael Nadal on Wednesday provided his fans with a treat as he was seen practising in the Spanish capital ahead of his Madrid Open campaign.
Meanwhile, the World No.3 Carlos Alcaraz was also seen practising on adjacent courts at the Caja Magica.
The home favourites and multiple-time champions of the ATP Masters 1000 tournament trained on neighbouring courts at the Caja Magica, where fans came to see the two Spanish legends.
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The World No.3 is preparing for his opening match against Arthur Rinderknech or Alexander Shevchenko in Madrid.
Nadal, the record five-time champion, will play at the Caja Magica for the first time since 2022 on Thursday, after his first ATP Tour participation since January in Barcelona last week.
The 37-year-old is preparing for a first-round encounter against NextGenATP American Darwin Blanch, who will be playing in only his second tour-level match at the age of 16.
Other players who practised on the Madrid clay on Wednesday were top seed Jannik Sinner and Monte-Carlo champion Stefanos Tsitsipas.
Their fellow Top 10 stars, Casper Ruud and Holger Rune, struck together on the first day of main-draw action in Madrid.