ATP Fantasy
Thiem’s Tips: Domi’s key ATP Fantasy factors for Madrid, where he beat Nadal & Federer
Austrian offers his strategy as fans take charge in new fantasy tennis game
April 18, 2026
ATP Tour
Dominic Thiem outlines his ATP Fantasy picks and strategy ahead of the 2026 Mutua Madrid Open.
By ATP Staff
How did your first week of ATP Fantasy pan out?
Plenty of players made a fast start to their season of the new game, in which fans step into the role of a team manager to select a roster of stars each week and earn points based on real-life performances. One of the players signing on to pick his own lineup is Dominic Thiem, the former No. 3 player in the PIF ATP Rankings and 2020 US Open champion.
“I really enjoy the game. It’s made super well, and it’s really interesting and nice to see that I follow my team really closely,” said Thiem, who is offering tips to fans ahead of each game week. “Some first-round matches [in Monte-Carlo], I watched them and really [I was] cheering for my players. You really get into it and I’m really, really happy about the first week of the game.”
So which names will be making it onto Thiem’s roster for the Mutua Madrid Open? It is safe to say the Austrian knows a thing or two about success at the tournament, where he owns victories against Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka among others.
The ATP Masters 1000 event, to be held from 22 April to 3 May at the Caja Magica, takes place at relatively high altitude compared to other tournaments such as Monte-Carlo or Rome. The ball tends to move through the air more quickly as a result, something Thiem says he will be taking into account when making his picks.
The other key factor for Thiem is the boost players receive when playing on home soil. Two #NextGenATP stars who hail from Madrid itself — Rafael Jodar, who won his maiden ATP Tour title in Marrakech earlier this month before reaching the Barcelona semi-finals, and Miami quarter-finalist Martin Landaluce — will compete as wild cards.
For Monte-Carlo, Thiem’s starters were Carlos Alcaraz, Alexander Zverev, Francisco Cerundolo, Tallon Griekspoor, Corentin Moutet and Grigor Dimitrov. With Alcaraz’s injury, he plans to exchange the Spaniard for World No. 1 Jannik Sinner.
“For sure I will keep Sascha in my team because he won Madrid already twice,” Thiem said of Zverev. “He’s always playing so well there with the high altitude. I will also keep a closer look at the Spanish players there in Madrid. If there are maybe some players like [Martin] Landaluce or [Rafael] Jodar, they are playing amazing lately, plus home advantage in Madrid. They are super interesting there.”
