CONFIRMED: Roger Federer to Return on Clay Following Taxing Comeback Matches in Doha

There was a lot of speculation surrounding Roger Federer and his 2021 clay-court season. Having just returned to tennis after a gap of 13 months, Federer is straight away eyeing Tokyo Olympics and Wimbledon. But to be match fit, he is targeting a few clay-court tournaments. Joining his exclusive list of clay tournaments is Mutua Madrid Open 2021, which begins in the last week of May.

Federer has been named on the entry list of Madrid Open. He is seeded 7th and will be playing in Madrid for the second time in five years. Federer last made an appearance at Madrid Open back in 2019, where he was defeated by Dominic Thiem.

The tournament is one where Federer has fond memories, having won three titles there. Moreover, one of his two clay-court wins over Rafael Nadal came in the final of the 2009 Madrid Open.

Federer had a troubling return in Doha, which is where he returned to the Tour after his two surgeries last year. But the much-anticipated return wasn’t fruitful, as he was ousted in the quarterfinals.

Who else will play at the Madrid Open 2021 entry list apart from Roger Federer?

It is a jam-packed entry list with the top 12 players all playing in Madrid. The tournament will be headed by defending champion, Novak Djokovic, who is is seeded first, given his number one ranking.

This time, the second seed is not Nadal but Daniil Medvedev. The Russian breached the top two this year, following a run to the Australian Open 2021 finals. Following Medvedev is the record five-time holder of the Madrid Open, Rafael Nadal.

2017 and 2018 runner-up, Dominic Thiem is seeded fourth, whereas the fifth seed is 2019 runner-up Stefanos Tsitsipas.

Completing the top ten seeds are Alexander Zverev, Andrey Rublev, Diego Schwartzman, and Matteo Berrettini.

The Madrid Open didn’t take place in 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic. Even when tennis started after the coronavirus break, cases started rising in Spain again. Thus warranting the cancelation of the ATP Masters 1000 tournament in Madrid.

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