It's not often that the most prominent names and faces across the tennis landscape stay clear of major popular tournaments for consecutive years in a row. In Novak Djokovic's case, he hasn't played in Madrid for three years. Apart from the four majors, Madrid is one of the most significant events of the year and carries a Masters 1000 label, and Novak has officially returned.
The previous three-time champion at the Caja Mágica in Manzanares Park will begin his hunt for a fourth. In 2022, Djokovic dropped his semifinal match to Carlos Alcaraz in their first-ever bout. Alcaraz is also in town for the Madrid Open, so there's potential for a rematch between the legend and the future one. What an exciting match that would be—no question.
Of course, a fourth Madrid title isn't the only goal Djokovic enters the event with. Following his last event win last August at the Paris Olympics, Djokovic has been chasing his 100th career title. He hasn't won since Paris. Reaching that feat would align him with only two others: Roger Federer (103) and Jimmy Connors (109).
Novak Djokovic's bracket includes a few tough draws
If Madrid goes well for the Joker, he'll join the illustrious, albeit limited, party of two club.
Unfortunately, we can forget about a finals match between Djokovic and Alcaraz, as both men share spots in the same half of the bracket. At best, they would clash in the semis. Alcaraz has the tougher group to go through, which includes players like Lorenzo Musetti, Stefanos Tsitsipas, and Alex de Minaur. Djokovic's path to the semis could see Frances Tiafoe, Tommy Paul, or Mateo Berrettini, to name a few.
Jack Draper is the second-highest-ranked player in Djokovic's half—Draper is ranked fifth, and Djokovic is fourth. So, there's a possibility they could cross paths as well. While Djokovic's half appears to be the lighter route than Alcaraz's, considering the Serbian is chasing a spectacular accomplishment, he cannot afford to take any opponent lightly.
Madrid presents Djokovic with attractive opportunity
Since Paris last summer, Djokovic has come short in each event he's participated in. In the '25 season alone, he has zero titles to date, and his most recent finals appearance was a loss to Jakub Mensik in Miami. Djokovic also bowed out early in Monte Carlo earlier in April.
Madrid has been kind to him in recent appearances, however, and it might be the perfect event for him to not only extend his three titles to four but to capture that prestigious 100th title in the process. Getting past Alcaraz, who beat him the last time he played in Madrid, will be the test of all tests. We'll soon find out if Djokovic is up for it.