This Week in Tennis: Djokovic Struggles in Madrid

Welcome to This Week in Tennis, where we catch up on all the latest and biggest stories from the ATP and WTA Tours.

Djokovic Stumbles Yet Again

Novak Djokovic continues to slide ahead of Roland-Garros, as he dropped his third straight match Saturday morning in Madrid. It’s also the second consecutive tournament in which Djokovic has lost his opening match.

The 24-time Grand Slam winner fell in the second round at the Madrid Open to Matteo Arnaldi in straight sets 6-3, 6-4. Djokovic also lost his opening match in Monte Carlo to Alejandro Tabilo earlier this month after losing the final in Miami to Jakub Mensik.

The 37-year-old continues to search for his 100th career title as he struggles to get on track in 2025.

“It’s a completely different feeling from what I had in 20-plus years of professional tennis,” Djokovic said after the match. “It’s a challenge for me mentally to really face these kinds of sensations on the court, going out early now regularly in tournaments.”

Alcaraz withdraws from Madrid

Two-time Madrid Open champion Carlos Alcaraz withdrew from the tournament prior to the opening round due to a muscle injury in his leg.

The reigning French Open champion says he plans to play in Rome, which begins on May 6, as he attempts to ramp up for Roland-Garros.

Alcaraz needed treatment on his leg in the final of the Barcelona Open, where he lost to Holger Rune in straight sets.

Read Also: Rune Stuns Alcaraz in Barcelona

Top Seeds Move On

The top seeds in both the men’s and women’s draws moved on to the round of 16 after early scares over the weekend.

Men’s No. 1 Alexander Zverev dropped the first set in his third-round match to Alejandro Davidovich Fokina but rallied to win the thrilling three-set match 2-6, 7-6 (3), 7-6 (0). He is scheduled for a round of 16 showdown with No. 20 Francisco Cerundolo on Tuesday morning.

Women’s top seed Aryna Sabalenka had a similar scare in her third-round matchup against Elise Mertens. The 20th seed took the first set 6-3 before the world No. 1 stormed back to dominate the rest of the way, winning the match 3-6, 6-2, 6-1.

Sabalenka's next match will be against American Peyton Stearns.

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