Everything you need to know about the Madrid Open with Andrey Rublev in action - watch live on Sky Sports
Thursday 2 May 2024 21:31, UK
Here's everything you need to know about the Madrid Open, which is live on Sky Sports from April 23 to May 5.
The WTA final will take place on Saturday May 4, with the ATP singles final taking place the following day.
Andrey Rublev faces American Taylor Fritz in the semi-finals (not before 3pm BST) as he targets a second Masters title heading into the French Open.
Coming into Madrid on a four-match losing streak after early defeats in Indian Wells, Miami, Monte Carlo and Barcelona, Rublev looked back to his best against Carlos Alcaraz in the quarter-finals, fighting back from a set down to beat the world No 3 4-6 6-3 6-2.
The 26-year-old was defaulted in the Dubai Championships in March, while in another match against Alcaraz in the ATP Finals last year, Rublev drew gasps from the Turin crown by repeatedly smashing his racket into his leg during a changeover.
"I can't believe I was able to stay calm throughout the match," Rublev told Sky Sports after downing the defending champion in Madrid. "I didn't say a word. Even I'm impressed by that."
Felix Auger-Aliassime received a walkover to the men's singles semi-finals after his opponent Jannik Sinner pulled out of the tournament due to a hip injury.
He will face Czech No 30 seed Jiri Lehecka after Russian No 3 seed Daniil Medvedev retired after one set in another truncated match.
Lehecka - into the first ATP Masters 1000 semi-final of his career - won the first set 6-4, but not before Medvedev began having issues with his upper right thigh. Medvedev sought treatment on his leg while leading the set 3-2 and needed treatment again with a 4-3 lead before bowing out early.
The iconic Caja Magica (Magic Box) at the Manzanares Park Tennis Centre has been the home of the tournament since 2009.
There are three courts all with retractable roofs and a total capacity of just over 17,000 seats (12,442 in Estadio Manolo Santana, 2923 in Estadio Arantxa Sanchez Vicario and 1772 Estadio 3).
Carlos Alcaraz had been aiming for a 'threepeat' having won the title in 2022 and 2023, beating Alexander Zverev in the final two years ago and then Jan-Lennard Struff last year but his hopes were ended by Andrey Rublev this year.
Aryna Sabalenka defeated world No 1 Iga Swiatek in 2023 to win her second Madrid title in three years.
Changes being trialled at the 2024 Mutua Madrid Open include:
In the run-up to the second Grand Slam of 2024 - the French Open at Roland-Garros from May 26 - you can watch all of the biggest tennis stars in action live on Sky Sports as they compete across the clay-court season...
Sky Sports will broadcast more live tennis than anywhere else in 2024, including on its dedicated tennis channel, bringing over 4,000 matches from more than 80 tournaments a year on the ATP and WTA Tours, plus full coverage of the US Open exclusively live.
Non-Sky subscribers can stream live matches contract-free with a NOW Sports Day or Month Membership.
Fans will also be able to follow their favourite players and gain deeper insights from both Tours via Sky Sports News, the Sky Sports App and skysports.com as well as via Sky Sports' social channels.
Stream Sky Sports live with no contract on a Month or Day membership on NOW. Instant access to live action from the Premier League and EFL, plus darts, cricket, tennis, golf and so much more.
You can now receive messages and alerts for the latest breaking sports news, analysis, in-depth features and videos from our dedicated WhatsApp channel. Find out more here...