The Mutua Madrid Open draw has been announced, with the tournament starting on Tuesday and broadcast live on Sky Sports. Unfortunately, Britain's Jack Draper has withdrawn from the competition as he continues to recover from the knee injury that forced him to pull out of the Barcelona Open. This injury has also ruled him out of next month's Italian Open, but Draper is optimistic about being fit for the French Open in May.
'I've got an aggravated tendon in my knee, so I won't be able to compete in Madrid and Rome,' Draper explained in a statement. 'It's certainly frustrating, but I'm relieved it's not a more severe issue. My recovery is progressing well, and I'm confident about my chances of being ready for Roland Garros.' Draper joins a list of notable absentees, including Emma Raducanu, Carlos Alcaraz, and Novak Djokovic.
In contrast, Britain's Cameron Norrie will participate in the tournament and has received a first-round bye. Norrie recently made the quarter-finals of the Barcelona Open and the second round in Monte Carlo. Katie Boulter will face American Taylor Townsend in the first round, with a potential match against fifth seed Jessica Pegula in the second round. Boulter has a strong record against Townsend, having won all their previous meetings, but they haven't played since the 2024 Beijing tournament.
Townsend has been in good form this season, reaching the final of the ATX Open WTA 250 in February. A victory for Boulter would set up a second-round encounter with Pegula, who recently won her second WTA title of the season in Charleston. Despite the absence of Alcaraz and Djokovic, Jannik Sinner is the top seed and will receive a bye in the first round.
The ATP and WTA Tours can be watched live on Sky Sports or streamed with NOW and the Sky Sports app, offering customers over 50% more live sports at no extra cost.