Djokovic, Nishikori early meeting at 2018 Madrid Open
By Harry Floyd
It’s Djokovic Nishikori in an early round exciting matchup at the 2018 Madrid Open. The two tennis stars square off on Monday at the event.
Novak Djokovic draws Kei Nishikori first at the 2018 Madrid Open. The Serbian comes into play as the tournament’s 10th seed. Nishikori is unseeded, but both players are among the best in men’s singles tennis. Both, however, are also continuing returns from injury.
Nishikori is rising in the rankings, having seen successful runs in recent weeks. Djokovic has had some ups and downs so far on the 2018 ATP World Tour. He reached the fourth round of play at the Australian Open to start the year and has remained right near the ATP Top 10 singles rankings. Both Djokovic and Nishikori are looking for a strong run this week.
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Djokovic is a two-time singles champion in Madrid. The favorite at the event is defending and five-time champion Rafael Nadal. The King of Clay is living up to his namesake, winning back to back titles at the Monte-Carlo Masters and the Barcelona Open. He is easily the favorite in the upcoming French Open as well. No matter how the draw unfolds early on, anyone hoping for a title in Madrid will need to keep an eye on Nadal.
Novak Djokovic is the 2011 and 2016 champion in Madrid.
Looking at their career head to head singles matches, Djokovic does have an edge over Nishikori. The Serbian is 11-2 throughout his career against the Japanese tennis star. Anything can happen this week at the Madrid Open though. Nishikori has some momentum as of late, having reached the finals at the Monte-Carlo Masters. He fell to Nadal, but the run was exactly what he needed moving forward. Just behind Nadal this week in Madrid is Alexander Zverev. The world No. 3 is the tournament’s second seed and rounds out the bottom half of the draw. He is one of the hottest young stars on the ATP World Tour right now. Others such as Dominic Thiem and Grigor Dimitrov are also in action at the event.
Stay tuned to see how the early round meeting between Djokovic and Nishikori goes down at the 2018 Madrid Open. Experience may be on the Serbian’s side, but anything can happen between these two veteran greats. They square off on Monday in Madrid.