ATP Madrid Open predictions and tennis betting tips: Schwartzman a big price

Free tennis tips, best bets and analysis for the ATP Madrid Open, which starts at La Caja Magica on Sunday.

Where to watch

Amazon Prime, 10am Sunday

Best bet

Diego Schwartzman
1pt each-way 66-1 Betfred

Tournament preview

With Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal both taking part the Madrid Open takes the prize for best tournament of the season so far on the ATP World Tour but it's hard to have faith in either of the big guns at La Caja Magica.

Djokovic, absent at the Australian Open due to well-publicised vaccine-related visa issues, was a round-of-32 loser in Monte Carlo but did reach the final of the Serbia Open, where Andrey Rublev proved too strong for the home hope in three sets.

Nadal, meanwhile, returns from a stress fracture to the ribs and he has traditionally found Madrid the hardest to win of all his regular clay tournaments, winning four times since the event switched to the surface from hard court in 2009.

Both are housed in a stacked top half of the draw, which also features rising star Carlos Alcaraz and an almost endless list of other potential spoilers including Dominic Thiem, Denis Shapovalov and Casper Ruud.

Preference is for an each-way bet in the bottom half, where Monte Carlo Masters champion and 2021 French Open finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas is rated the most likely candidate to contest the Madrid final.

Tsitsipas's claims are obvious given his draw but, instead, a punt on Diego Schwartzman is advised at much bigger odds.

The diminutive Argentinian withdrew from the Estoril Open due to fatigue but will hopefully be freshened up for this assignment having previously reached the quarter-finals in Monte Carlo and the semi-finals in Barcelona.

Grand Slam success has proved beyond the 29-year-old but a Masters 1000 title looks well within the compass of a player who has spent the bulk of the last four years ranked in the world's top 20.

Not got a bet365 account? Bet £10 & get £50 in free bets

Open account offer. Minimum deposit requirement. Free Bets are paid as bet credits and are available for use upon settlement of bets to value of qualifying deposit. Minimum odds, bet and payment method exclusions apply. Returns exclude bet credits stake. Time limits/T&Cs apply. 18+ begambleaware.org

CLAIM OFFER HERE

Today's top sports betting stories

Follow us on Twitter @racingpostsport