Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz in opposite sections of Madrid Draw due to Djokovic withdrawal

Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz may not face each other in the Madrid Open until a potential final following Novak Djokovic's withdrawal. The Italian, currently world No. 2, will be the top seed after the Serbian's departure and will lead the first half of the draw, while Alcaraz (No. 3) will go to the other end of the main draw as the top-ranked player.

Djokovic was expected to be the main favorite in Madrid, but he decided to withdraw from the tournament, still without clear reasons, which caused a change in the order of the seeds, and even before the tournament, it is guaranteed that Sinner and Alcaraz will be on different sides of the draw.

This will be the first time that the young Italian has been the top seed in a Masters 1000 tournament. At 22 years old, he has had an impeccable season with a record of 25-2 in 2024 and three titles, including his first Grand Slam at the Australian Open.

Sinner also started the year with an unbeaten streak of 16 consecutive victories, which was ended by his great rival Alcaraz in the semifinals of Indian Wells, where the Spaniard eventually retained the title for the second consecutive time. Alcaraz, who had been experiencing an irregular moment in recent months, reached his peak level against Sinner to claim a spectacular victory 1-6, 6-3, 6-2.

Although the Spaniard recently lost the No. 2 spot in the ATP rankings to his rival, he may have a slight favoritism in Madrid, considering he is a 2-time defending champion and will have the support of the local crowd.

With eight matches played between them, their last four encounters were in the semifinals of tournaments. So far, Sinner and Alcaraz have faced each other only once in a final, back in the 2022 Croatia Open Umag, where Sinner claimed the title with a 6-7(5), 6-1, 6-1 victory, precisely his only title on clay.