Madrid
Sinner learns Madrid fate following draw
ATP Masters 1000 event runs from 22 April to 3 May
April 20, 2026
Corinne Dubreuil/ATP Tour
Jannik Sinner is aiming to win the title in Madrid for the first time.
By Sam Jacot
Jannik Sinner’s quest for a fifth consecutive ATP Masters 1000 title starts this week at the Mutua Madrid Open and the Italian learned his path following Monday’s draw in the Spanish capital.
The No. 1 player in the PIF ATP Rankings will open against a qualifier and could face last year’s quarter-finalist Gabriel Diallo in the third round. Tommy Paul is a potential fourth-round opponent and Alex de Minaur is Sinner’s seeded quarter-final match.
However, #NextGenATP stars Joao Fonseca and Rafael Jodar are both in De Minaur’s section of the draw. Jodar, 19, lifted the trophy in Marrakech and reached the semi-finals in Barcelona. The Spaniard would face De Minaur in the second round if he can defeat Jesper de Jong in the first round. Fonseca begins against Zizou Bergs or Marin Cilic.
Ben Shelton, Lorenzo Musetti and Arthur Fils are all potential semi-final opponents for Sinner, who has never been beyond the quarter-finals in Madrid. Shelton and Fils arrive in the Spanish capital fresh off title runs in Munich and Barcelona, respectively. Shelton begins against Matteo Berrettini or Raphael Collignon and Fils faces Ignacio Buse or Adrian Mannarino. Shelton and Fils could meet in the fourth round.
Sixth seed Musetti reached the semi-finals in Madrid last year. The Italian will play Hubert Hurkacz or a qualifier in his opening match and could face Miami finalist Jiri Lehecka or last year’s Madrid finalist Jack Draper in the fourth round. Draper will meet 2023 finalist Jan-Lennard Struff or a qualifier in his opener.
Sinner is aiming to win five consecutive ATP Masters 1000 crown, having triumphed at recent events in Paris, Indian Wells, Miami and Monte-Carlo. Across those four tournaments, the Italian has dropped just one set (against Tomas Machac in Monte-Carlo).
In the bottom half, second seed Alexander Zverev is seeded to meet Daniil Medvedev in the quarter-finals. Medvedev leads Zverev 14-8 in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series. Zverev, a two-time Madrid champion, opens against Nuno Borges or Mariano Navone. The German could play Ugo Humbert in the third round and Jakub Mensik in the fourth round. Medvedev is seeded to face Munich finalist Flavio Cobolli or Learner Tien in the last 16.
Third seed Felix Auger-Aliassime meets Sebastian Baez or a qualifier in his first match, while eighth seed Alexander Bublik could take on Stefanos Tsitsipas. Defending champion Casper Ruud is also in this section and starts against Jaume Munar or Alexander Shevchenko.
Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic are not playing in Madrid. The fourth ATP Masters 1000 event of the season begins on Wednesday, with the final on 3 May.
