Home favourites Alcaraz, Nadal draw crowds at Madrid practice

Corinne Dubreuil/ATP Tour

Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal provided a double treat for fans on Wednesday at the Mutua Madrid Open.

The home favourites and multiple-time champions at the ATP Masters 1000 event practised on adjacent courts at the Caja Magica, where crowds flocked to watch the two Spanish stars.

_{^{Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz greet each other on Wednesday in Madrid. Photo Credit: Corinne Dubreuil/ATP Tour}}

The No. 3 in the PIF ATP Rankings, Alcaraz is preparing for an opening match against Arthur Rinderknech or Alexander Shevchenko in Madrid, where he has won the past two editions of the event.

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The record five-time champion Nadal, who made his first ATP Tour appearance since January in Barcelona last week, will step on court at the Caja Magica for the first time since 2022 on Thursday. The Mallorcan is preparing for a first-round clash against #NextGenATP American Darwin Blanch: it will be just the second tour-level match of the 16-year-old Blanch’s career.

Other players practising on the Madrid clay on Wednesday included top seed Jannik Sinner and Monte-Carlo champion Stefanos Tsitsipas. Their fellow Top 10 stars Casper Ruud and Holger Rune hit together on the day the main-draw action begins in Madrid.