Alex de Minaur is set for a second battle royal with the king of clay in the space of a week as the Madrid Open draw offered up the tantalising opportunity for the Australian No.1 to earn a rare double over Rafael Nadal.
The pair will meet in the second round of the Masters 1000 event should Nadal, on his comeback from injury after three months on the sidelines, swat aside the 1028th-ranked American wildcard Darwin Blanch in his opener. De Minaur has been given a first-round bye.
The 16-year-old Blanch was amazed to hear of his draw, reflecting like any wide-eyed teenager might as he declared on social media: “Guys I play Nadal wtf”
Five-time Madrid champ Nadal returned to action last week in Barcelona but though he won his opening match there, de Minaur then produced a brilliant display to knock out the 22-time grand slam champ in the second round.
It would be a rare old feather in his cap if the Sydneysider could beat the greatest clay-courter in history on his home courts for the second week in a row.
De Minaur will be accompanied in the main draw by five other Australians, while a resurgent Thanasi Kokkinakis is hoping to make it a seven-strong contingent after winning his first-round qualifier against France's Gregoire Barrere 6-2 6-2 on Monday.
Kokkinakis, who's endured a tough opening to his 2024 campaign, has a tough assignment to make the main draw as he must face former US Open champion Dominic Thiem in the final round of qualifying on Tuesday.
Adelaide's Kokkinakis was buoyed by his triumph in a Challenger event in Sarasota, USA, eight days ago - a victory achieved while nursing a foot problem - which ensured he qualified for the French Open, his most successful grand slam, and which also pushed him back inside the top 100 at No.93.
If Kokkinakis beats Thiem, the 28-year-old will join de Minaur, Jordan Thompson, Chris O'Connell, Max Purcell, and Aleksandar Vukic in the tournament which also features the return of Carlos Alcaraz from injury as he seeks his third straight title in Madrid.
Top-ranked Novak Djokovic, still without a trophy in 2024, will be missing, deciding instead to reduce his clay-court preparations for his French Open title defence. He'll get ready for the big one by playing in the Italian Open.
In the women's event, headed by world No.1 Iga Swiatek and reigning champion Aryna Sabalenka, there are two Australians battling to make it into the main draw, having made it into the final round of qualifying.
Daria Saville, the country's top-ranked women's player, beat Russian Anastasia Zakharova 6-1 5-7 6-2 on Monday, while Aussie No.4 Astra Sharma earned a notable come-from-behind win 4-6 6-1 6-4 over American 21st qualifying seed Katie Volynets.
