Madrid Open 2021: Top five tennis players to watch out for

The tournament will take place on the clay court of Caja Magica from April 30 to May 9.

The Madrid Open starts on April 30 and all eyes would be on the Caja Magica. Also known as the Madrid Masters, it is one of the most profitable tournaments bringing in revenues worth €107 million.

With defending champion Novak Djokovic already stepping down from the tournament, we take a look at the top five players to watch out for:

5. Ashleigh Barty

Australian Ashleigh Barty is the highest-ranked female player in the tournament, but has never won it. This time could be a great chance for her to win. She is currently 2,000 points clear of her closest rival, Japan's Naomi Osaka . And will be more than determined to get her hands on the coveted prize.

Barty would be playing her first match against American Shelby Rogers. Rogers who has come in as a replacement for compatriot Sofia Kenin will have her work cut out. Coincidentally Barty had faced Rogers in the 4th round of the Australian Open and the former had come out on top. The Australian is not a stranger to the clay court. She won the 2019 French Open title. So if things go accordingly there is a great chance we might see Barty in the finals.

4. Naomi Osaka

The second-seeded Naomi Osaka could also come out on top in the Mutua Madrilena. A four time Grand Slam winner, Osaka too like Barty has never won the Madrid Open. She will thus be looking to win the trophy for the first time in her career.

After winning the Australian Open this year her confidence and form are on a high. She will look to capitalize on that momentum to taste success in Madrid. It will be quite interesting to see how she fares in the tournament against the opposition.

3. Dominic Thiem

Dominic Thiem will be the real wildcard in the Madrid Open. The Austrian is ranked third behind Rafa Nadal and Daniel Medvedev but he is surely one to watch out for. A runner up in the 2017 and 2018 season Thiem would be intent to right those wrongs.

The Austrian is well versed with the clay court and that experience to pull it through will be very beneficial. Thiem's last two losses also came against masters of the game like Nadal and Medvedev. So this would be the perfect opportunity for him to avenge those losses.

2. Simona Halep

The most successful of all the female players on the list is Romanian Simona Halep. The former two time Madrid Open winner was the runner-up in the 2019 edition. She enters the tournament at 7050 points just behind second-ranked Naomi Osaka.

Halep will start her journey against Spain's Sara Sorribes Tormo. Tormo is a wild card entrant in the competition. Halep's experience and consistency at the tournament is her key to victory. The majority of fans would expect to see her making it to the final stages of the tournament.

1. Rafael Nadal

Rafael Nadal will undoubtedly be the most-watched player in the Madrid Open. The hometown hero is a five-time winner and a two-time runner-up in the tournament. Nadal's expertise on clay makes him a formidable opponent.

Nadal comes into the competition with 9810 points, the highest of all the players. Moreover, the absence of defending champion Novak Djokovic will also help his cause. It has made him the clear favourite to win this tournament. So everyone will have their eyes on him. Moreover, since 2010 Rafa has always won a trophy here within a gap of two years.

So if the stars align right this year might just belong to him. All the other players will have to keep a close eye on him as he might steal the show.

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