Djokovic vs Thiem, Nadal vs Tsitsipas Headline Madrid SFs; Read Preview

Novak Djokovic battles Dominic Thiem and Rafael Nadal squares off with Stefanos Tsitsipas in a blockbuster semi-final line up on Saturday at the Mutua Madrid Open. The Madrid semi-finals are the first this year to have all four players inside the Top 10 of the ATP Rankings.

Top seed Djokovic was given an extra day of recovery after ninth seed Marin Cilic withdrew from their quarter-final due to food poisoning. The two-time Madrid champion hasn’t dropped a set this week and has started to show the form that has seen him dominate the ATP Tour for nearly a full calendar year. He’s also far more familiar with the business stage of Masters 1000 events than his opponent. The Serbian is competing in his 64th Masters 1000 semi-final, compared to six for Thiem.

Who will win the latest @FedEx ATP Head2Head meeting between these players?#MMOPEN

— ATP Tour (@ATP_Tour) May 11, 2019

Although Thiem trails his FedEx ATP Head2Head rivalry with Djokovic 2-5, he has won their past two matches and both were on clay. The fifth seed dug deep to save two match points in his thrilling quarter-final victory over fourth seed Roger Federer and will be brimming with confidence after his great escape. Having finished runner-up the past two years in Madrid, the Austrian knows what it takes to excel at this event and will be eager to move one step closer to his first clay-court Masters 1000 title.

“He was not at his best [when we last played] and now he is again. He’s won the last three Slams and he is at the top of the [ATP Rankings]. The challenge couldn’t be bigger,” said Thiem. “This is a very tough tournament because I’ve only faced good players and tomorrow is another one. I’ll try to keep up my good momentum which I have now and give my best again.”

Second seed Nadal leads his FedEx ATP Head2Head rivalry with Tsitsipas 3-0 and has claimed all three wins in the past 13 months. The Spaniard has yet to drop a set against last year’s Next Gen ATP Finals champion and will take confidence from his previous success as he pursues his 50th Masters 1000 final. Court Manolo Santana has become backyard territory for Nadal as the five-time champion gets ready for his 11th semi-final at this event.

Although Nadal arrived in Madrid without a title during the first four months of the season for the first time since 2004, his clay-court prowess has been in full flight this week. He’s dropped just 16 games in three rounds and looked particularly impressive in his quarter-final win over Stan Wawrinka. Nadal has won 96 per cent of his service games (26/27) while leading the tournament in return games won with 40 per cent (10/25).

But eighth seed Tsitsipas has earned a reputation for thriving on playing in big stadiums against the world’s best players. The Greek star has won more matches (26) than anyone else in 2019 and is just one match away from his fourth ATP Tour final of the season.

“He’s a young player. He has a lot of potential, a lot of energy. He’s playing well [and] has won a lot of matches in a row. It’s going to be one of these matches that is an opportunity,” said Nadal. “He’s been playing well recently and it is an opportunity to test my level of game and to confirm those good feelings that I have had today on the court.”

Thiem will also take the court for his doubles semi-final with Argentine Diego Schwartzman as they play the Argentine-Portuguese combination of Guido Pella and Joao Sousa.

ORDER OF PLAY – SATURDAY, MAY 11, 2019
MANOLO SANTANA start 1:30 pm
WTA match
Not Before 4:00 pm
[1] Novak Djokovic (SRB) vs [5] Dominic Thiem (AUT)
Not Before 6:30 pm
WTA match
Not Before 9:00 pm
[8] Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRE) vs [2] Rafael Nadal (ESP)

ARANTXA SANCHEZ NB 5:00 pm
Dominic Thiem (AUT) / Diego Schwartzman (ARG) vs Guido Pella (ARG) / Joao Sousa (POR)