It looked like a short day’s work for Nadal in the first set against Kekmanovic. The Spaniard needed just 37 minutes to secure the first half. However, shortly after the start of the second set, the rain stopped Nadal showing him the way out. The 35-year-old had a tough time with the Serbian opponent and had to go into a tie-break, unlike in the first set. There, the 21-time Grand Slam winner from Mallorca had a better end for himself and advanced to the next round after 1:57 hours with an ace.

Nadal played his last match in the Indian Wells final on 20 March. The Spaniard had to give up after 20 wins by Taylor Fritz from the United States at that time. However, Nadal played in the semi-finals with a stress fracture of a rib. In the Round of 16 in Madrid, local hero meets Belgian David Goffin, who outclassed Dutchman Boutique van de Zandschulp in a 6:4 6:2 spot.

Djokovic – Murray as a Special “Treat”

A special “treat” awaits fans in Round 16 on Thursday. Because Scott Andy Murray meets then world number one Novak Djokovic as a reward for his first clay court victory in five years. Although there have been 36 duels on the ATP tour, the latest edition is special. Because recently, Djokovic and Murray went head-to-head in the 2017 Doha final. The Serb won the final in three sets.

19 comparisons and thus more than half took place in the final. Djokovic is face-to-face from 25:11, on clay it’s 5:1. Since the last meeting, Murray has endured a period of suffering from hip problems and hip surgery. Djokovic, on the other hand, hasn’t played much this year as he hasn’t been vaccinated against the coronavirus.

Murray had extended the wait for Dominic Thiem to 6:3 6:4 for his comeback win in the first round. In the second round on Tuesday, the former Wimbledon and US Open winner knocked out No. 14 seed Denis Shapovalov from Canada 6:1 3:6 6:2 to secure a duel with his longtime rival Djokovic .

ATP tournament in Madrid