Novak Djokovic’s vaccination status has caused him to miss much of the 2022 season. But with vaccination requirements easing, the 20-time Major champion is eager to gain match play in just his fourth tournament of the year. While he’s only 5-3 this season, Novak is 17-0 lifetime against his opponent on Tuesday, Gael Monfils. Could this be an opportunity for the Frenchman to finally defeat Djokovic?
Another Slam champ trying to play their way into form is Bianca Andreescu. The 21-year-old Canadian has battled injuries, COVID, and mental health issues since winning the 2019 US Open. In the last round, she captured only her third win of 2022 in a dominant performance over Australian Open finalist Danielle Collins. On Sunday, Andreescu faces another American in Jessica Pegula, who is just a few wins away from breaking into the top 10.
Each day, this preview will analyze the two most intriguing matchups, while highlighting other notable matches on the schedule. Tuesday’s play gets underway at 12:00pm local time.
Jessica Pegula (12) vs. Bianca Andreescu – Not Before 3:30pm on Arantxa Sanchez Stadium
This will be their first tour-level meeting. Three years ago in the final of an American ITF event, Andreescu defeated Pegula in three sets. That was the first title in an amazing season for Bianca, which would also see her win in Indian Wells, Toronto, and of course New York. But all of that success came on hard courts. On this surface, Andreescu is still rather inexperienced. In her young career, she’s only 6-2 on clay in the main draws of WTA events. Pegula owns a bit more experience on the dirt, yet between 2019 and 2021, went only 9-9 on this surface. But she’s the much more in-form player, with a 14-8 record on the season. This is a surface which rewards grit, something nearly no other player has exhibited more of over the last few years than Andreescu. And in a draw where only four of the 12 remaining players are seeds, another upset feels entirely possible.
Novak Djokovic (1) vs. Gael Monfils – Not Before 4:00pm on Manolo Santana Stadium
As one-sided as their history is, Monfils has made many of their recent encounters competitive, taking a set in six of their last nine encounters. However, Gael’s recent record on clay is quite unimpressive. Since 2017, he is only 22-25 on this surface. And only one his 11 titles have come on clay, which was actually his very first all the way back in 2005. Djokovic is vying for his first title in six months, since the Paris Masters last November. Novak is a three-time champion in Madrid, and won this event the last time he played it three years ago. He’s struggled with his form and endurance at his first two clay events this season, yet fought his way to the final of Belgrade two weeks ago. Despite his recent lack of match play, Djokovic remains a considerable favorite against this opponent, especially on this surface.
Other Notable Matches on Tuesday:
Daria Kasatkina vs. Sara Sorribes Tormo – Kasatkina upset Maria Sakkari in the last round, while Sorribes Tormo became emotional after taking out Naomi Osaka. Daria and Sara have never played at tour-level.
Emma Raducanu (9) vs. Anhelina Kalinina – Raducanu lost only three games on Sunday to Kalinina’s fellow Ukranian Marta Kostyuk. Meanwhile, Anhelina also lost only three games in her upset of Spain’s Garbine Muguruza. This is yet another first-time WTA matchup on the day.
Denis Shapovalov (14) vs. Andy Murray (WC) – On Monday, Murray garnered his first win on clay in five years, at the expense of fellow Major champion Dominic Thiem. Shapovalov is only 2-2 since February. Last year at Wimbledon, Denis eliminated a depleted Andy in straight sets.
Carlos Alcaraz (7) vs. Nikoloz Basilashvili – Alcaraz is a stellar 23-2 on the year, and is coming off his third title this season in Barcelona. Basilashvili was the runner-up in Doha three months ago, but is just 2-6 since. At last year’s French Open, when Carlos was a qualifier, he upset Nikoloz in straight sets.
Tuesday’s full Order of Play is here.
