Boulter & Draper in Madrid Open action along with Alcaraz, live on Sky

Here’s everything you need to know about the Madrid Open, which is live on Sky Sports from April 23 to May 5.

The WTA final will take place on Saturday May 4, with the ATP singles final taking place the following day.

Who’s in action on Friday in Madrid?

Carlos Alcaraz is back from injury to try to win a third consecutive Madrid Open this week.

Alcaraz is competing in his first European clay-court event of the season after skipping Monte-Carlo and Barcelona because of a right arm injury.

The 20-year-old Spaniard begins his title defence against Alexander Shevchenko from 3pm BST – live on Sky Sports Tennis.

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There’s plenty of British interest too with world No 28 Katie Boulter taking on American Robin Montgomery from around 4pm, while Jack Draper returns to action having disposed of Thanasi Kokkinakis in three sets as the left-hander takes on Polish eighth seed Hubert Hurkacz from 3pm.

Remaining Madrid Open schedule

Friday April 26 – Men’s & Women’s singles second round, live on Sky Sports Tennis from 10amSaturday April 27 – Men’s second round, Women’s third round, live on Sky Sports Tennis from 10amSunday April 28 – Men’s & Women’s singles third round, live on Sky Sports Tennis from 10amMonday April 29 – Women’s singles fourth round, Men’s third round, live on Sky Sports Tennis from 10amTuesday April 30 – Men’s singles fourth round, Women’s quarter-finals, live on Sky Sports Tennis from 10amWednesday May 1 – Men’s & Women’s singles quarter-finals, live on Sky Sports Tennis from 12pmThursday May 2 – Women’s singles semi-finals, Men’s quarter-finals, live on Sky Sports Tennis from 12pmFriday May 3 – Men’s singles semi-finals, live on Sky Sports Tennis from 12pmSaturday May 4 – Women’s singles final, live on Sky Sports Tennis from 12.30pmSunday May 5 – Men’s singles final, live on Sky Sports Tennis from 12.30pm

Where is the Madrid Open being held?

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Room with a view! Welcome to the Caja Magica (Magic Box)

The iconic Caja Magica (Magic Box) at the Manzanares Park Tennis Centre has been the home of the tournament since 2009.

There are three courts all with retractable roofs and a total capacity of just over 17,000 seats (12,442 in Estadio Manolo Santana, 2923 in Estadio Arantxa Sanchez Vicario and 1772 Estadio 3).

Who are the defending champions?

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Carlos Alcaraz is the defending Madrid Open men’s singles champion

Carlos Alcaraz is aiming for a ‘threepeat’ having won the title in 2022 and 2023, beating Alexander Zverev in the final two years ago and then Jan-Lennard Struff last year.

Aryna Sabalenka defeated world No 1 Iga Swiatek in 2023 to win her second Madrid title in three years.

Innovative doubles trial kicks off in Madrid

Changes being trialed at the 2024 Mutua Madrid Open include:

More Singles vs. Doubles action. The 32-team draw will feature up to 16 slots reserved for teams entering via their singles ranking, creating an unprecedented number of matchups between the world’s top doubles and singles players, and compelling new narratives for fans.Streamlined schedule over five days (Tuesday to Saturday) during Week Two of the tournament, providing a simpler and sharper schedule for fans and players.Reduced shot clock to accelerate the pace of play and minimise downtime during matches. Time between points will be reduced to 15 seconds following rallies shorter than four shots (four or more shots = 25 seconds).Quicker changeovers with fewer sit-downs to accelerate the pace of play.Free fan movement in the arena during play, adding convenience to the on-site experience.

Upcoming tennis live on Sky Sports

In the run-up to the second Grand Slam of 2024 – the French Open at Roland-Garros from May 26 – you can watch all of the biggest tennis stars in action live on Sky Sports as they compete across the clay-court season…

Madrid Open (ATP and WTA Masters 1000) – Tuesday April 22-Sunday May 5Italian Open (ATP and WTA Masters 1000) – Tuesday May 7-Sunday May 19Geneva Open (ATP 250) – Monday May 20-Sunday May 26Lyon Open (ATP 250) – Monday May 20-Sunday May 26Internationaux de Strasbourg (WTA 500) – Monday May 20-Sunday May 26Morocco Open (WTA 250) – Monday May 20-Sunday May 26

How to watch play on Sky Sports Tennis

Sky Sports will broadcast more live tennis than anywhere else in 2024, including on its dedicated tennis channel, bringing over 4,000 matches from more than 80 tournaments a year on the ATP and WTA Tours, plus full coverage of the US Open exclusively live.

Non-Sky subscribers can stream live matches contract-free with a NOW Sports Day or Month Membership.

Fans will also be able to follow their favourite players and gain deeper insights from both Tours via Sky Sports News, the Sky Sports App and skysports.com as well as via Sky Sports’ social channels.

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