Djokovic "ready" for Rafa in Madrid
Serbian raring to return to scene of first clay victory over his Spanish rival
World number one Novak Djokovic arrived in Madrid on Wednesday and later hit a few balls on the new blue surface at the Caja Mágica, the scene of his first ever victory over Rafa Nadal on clay.
The Serbian's 7-5, 6-4 win in last year's final was a turning point in his career; he went on to win his next four meetings with Nadal: on clay at the Rome Masters, on grass at Wimbledon, on hard court at Flushing Meadows and on the plexicushion of Rod Laver Arena.
The Spaniard, though, brought his losing streak to an end in Monte Carlo, defeating Djokovic 6-3, 6-1 in the final for a record eighth title, and then swept to a seventh triumph in Barcelona.
However, Djokovic had learned of the death of his grandfather during the Monte Carlo tournament. He subsequently pulled out of this week's Serbia Open, an event organized by his own family, so whether the Serbian was fully at the peak of his powers that day is questionable.
After last year, I believed I could win big tournaments on clay," says the number one
In Madrid, after a few days to himself, Djokovic said he is rested and raring to go. "I'm happy to be back," Djokovic told the Madrid tournament's website. "I came early. I didn't play the Belgrade tournament because I wanted some time for myself to regroup and get my batteries charged, and now I'm ready. [Last year] was a big success for me, it was a big confidence boost and from that moment on I believed that I could beat Rafa on clay, that I could win big tournaments on this surface and I was very thrilled."
Djokovic and Nadal, seeded one and two, can only meet in the final but they will face a strong field before next Sunday's showpiece. The Madrid Masters is a mandatory ATP 1000 tournament, so unless injured or otherwise indisposed, the 64-player main draw contains the top 16 players on the Tour as seeds. A familiar foe for Nadal at the Caja Mágica is Roger Federer, who he beat in 2009, lost to in 2010 and defeated again in last year's semifinals. Federer has won the Madrid Open on a hard court, in 2006, and on the clay of the Caja Mágica. But this time around, seeded third, he will probably have to beat both Djokovic and Nadal to lift a third title. Federer, who has not played since losing to Andy Roddick in the third round at Miami, has been training intensively for the European clay court season.
Since its switch to clay -- this year a controversial blue variety -- in 2009, the Madrid Open has also hosted a parallel WTA premier tier tournament that this year welcomes back 2010 finalist Venus Williams and the cream of the circuit. No player has reached the final twice in Madrid. Then-world number one Dinara Safina lifted the inaugural title at the expense of Caroline Wozniacki, Aravane Rezaï beat Williams in her final appearance and Petra Kvitová defeated current number one Victoria Azarenka last year.
Carrying Spanish hopes into the main draw are Anabel Medina, Carla Suárez, Silvia Soler, and young talents Lara Arruabarrena, who won her first WTA title in Bógota in February, and Garbiñe Muguruza, who went on a memorable run at this year's Sony Ericsson Open in Miami. No Spanish player has ever reached the quarterfinals in Madrid, with the best local showings being last 16 appearances by Arantxa Parra and Anabel Medina.
