Stefanos Tsitsipas wasted emotional injury as he knocked a three-match losing streak on the head with a 3-6, 7-6 (6), 7-6 (4) comeback victory. on Thursday at the  Madrid Masters.

The Greek drew a third-set point penalty for coaching from his ever-present father Apostolos as Tsitsipas on his first clay match this season and took his first victory since March 20.

The World No. 80 who once stood as a top 10 regular defeated American lucky loser Patrick Kypson to reach the second round.

The coaching violation came as Apostolos began speaking to his son from the opponent side of the court, a violation of the on-court rule which allows advice when the player is near to the coaching box.

When he was penalised, Tsitsipas stormed to the chair but was unable to change the ruling.

Casper Ruud credits a week of training and injury recovery at the Rafael Nadal academy with lifting his game as he starts a Masters 1000 title defence this week in Madrid.

The Norwegian who had to retire in the second set of his Monte Carlo third-round match this month, spent a week at Nadal’s academy on the island of Mallorca and said he is feeling fit and ready.

“I’m happy to say I’m fully recovered”, the No. 15 said. “I was a bit worried at first, I thought Madrid would be tough. But I’ve had good days of recovery. 

“I spent a week in Mallorca, training at Rafa’s academy and working on fitness off the court. I’m really pleased to be here, ready to compete again”.

The Scandinavian credits the retired Nadal with constant encouragement during his training visit.

“Rafa has encouraged me to carry on and give my best. You can’t ask any more of a player. Rafa has won so many big titles on clay, I could never compare myself to him. 

“He’s in a league of his own on this surface. If there’s one thing you can learn from him, it’s determination. He never gave up, and he was able to win many matches without being at his best because he was so well prepared physically and mentally”.

“There are so many things you can learn from Rafa. This time, we didn’t spend much time together on court. He encouraged me to keep going and told me I have plenty to fight for in the coming weeks”.

Main photo:- Casper Ruud with Madrid 2025 trophy – by ISF Ltd

Jannik Sinner enters this weeks Madrid Open in search of another record.

If the Italian World No. 1 claims the title on 3 May he will become the first player  to win five consecutive ATP Masters 1000 titles.

Sinner was forced to retire during his third-round match in Shanghai last October but has since lifted the trophies in Paris, Indian Wells, Miami and Monte-Carlo.

The 24-year-old did not drop a single set at the three hard-court events, though Tomas Machac put an end to his record breaking streak at 37 in the Monte-Carlo third round.

When Sinner defeated Carlos Alcaraz in the Monte-Carlo final earlier this month he returned  to No. 1 in the ATP Rankings for the first time since November 2025.

The Italian became the first player to win the ‘Sunshine Double’ with victories in Indian Wells and Miami, without dropping a set.

On three previous occasions Novak Djokovic and Rafa Nadal once each won four consecutive ATP Masters 1000’s

Djokovic won five trophies in a row at that level between Paris in 2014 and Rome in 2015 but did not play in Madrid that year.

Sinner is next aiming at  breaking  Djokovic’s record of winning six Masters 1000 titles in a single season in 2015.

The Italian is already an eight-time Masters 1000 champion, but Monte-Carlo was his first trophy at that  level on the clay.

Sinner’s best result in Madrid thus far was a run to the quarter final in 2024

The top seed will open against qualifier, Benjamin Bonzi  on Friday.