Feliciano Lopez: 'Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic make every..'

Staged at Caja Magica, the Mutua Madrid Open had switched the surface from indoor hard to clay back in 2009, finding its place in the calendar in May and joining Monte Carlo and Rome as one of three most significant clay events after Roland Garros. Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic have won nine out of 11 titles in Madrid since 2009, with all three gathering in the Spanish capital in May 2019. It was Roger Federer's first ATP tournament on clay since 2016, hoping to challenge his great rivals and giving a new dimension to already a great event. The tournament director Feliciano Lopez said it was every tournament's dream to bring Roger, Rafa and Novak into a single draw, with the greatest players of all time making every event the one to watch. Lopez will give his best to gather all three of them for the 2021 edition of the Mutua Madrid Open, understanding it's still early for the players to plan their spring schedule.

The Madrid Open had to close the gates due to the coronavirus pandemic this September, hoping for a fresh start next spring. In one of Madrid's best matches last year, two-time beaten finalist Dominic Thiem took down world no. 3 Roger Federer 3-6, 7-6, 6-4 in two hours and ten minutes after saving two match points. Barcelona champion scored the fourth win over Roger in six encounters, halting Roger's first run on clay since Rome 2016 after a titanic battle that kept the crowd at Caja Magica on the edge of their seats. The Austrian overcame a slow start and survived the second set tie break scare to bring the triumph home in the decider and book the semi-final clash against world no. 1 Novak Djokovic.

Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic competed in Madrid 2019.

Almost nothing could separate them, with Thiem winning two points more and two breaks on each side. After the opening set, the younger player raised his game to stay on level terms with Roger, converting only two out of 12 break chances but finding the way to cross the finish line first and extend the winning streak on clay. Rafael Nadal lost to Stefanos Tsitsipas in the semi-final, while Novak Djokovic went all the way for his third Madrid crown, beating the Greek in straight sets to lift the trophy.

"I will give my best to bring all the best players in Madrid. With Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer, the Madrid Open was spectacular in 2019. Having all three of them is a dream for every tournament. Still, I don't know much about Roger's and Novak's plans, although I will try to bring them all to Madrid," Feliciano Lopez said.

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/37aYvro