Madrid Open 2025 Draw: Novak Djokovic's projected path to final ft. potential SF clash vs Carlos Alcaraz

The second Masters 1000 tournament of the year for men on clay, the Madrid Open, is going to begin soon, with the main draw starting on Friday, April 25. Novak Djokovic, the 37-year-old from Serbia, who has won the tournament thrice, will be in the fray this year, too.

The legendary Serb has not won an ATP tournament in more than a year and would like to end the drought there. Djokovic will start as one of the favorites in the tournament.

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Novak Djokovic's potential 2R opponent - Matteo Arnaldi

Novak Djokovic could face Matteo Arnaldi of Italy in his first match of the tournament. Arnaldi is currently ranked 44th in the world. However, he has not played against Djokovic at the ATP level yet, and it will be their first meeting should they meet in the second round of the Madrid Open.

Arnaldi is a solid player, but Djokovic should have enough quality to get past him.

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Novak Djokovic's potential 3R opponent - Sebastian Baez

Baez, the diminutive Argentine, who has reached three finals on clay this year and won the Rio Open, might be waiting for Djokovic in the third round. Baez is ranked 33rd in the world at the moment.

However, the Argentine remains yet another player who has not faced Djokovic yet. They might meet for the first time in the Spanish capital later this month. It might prove to be a tricky match for Djokovic.

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Novak Djokovic's potential 4R opponent - Frances Tiafoe

Tiafoe might be facing Djokovic in the fourth round. The American does not have a particularly great record on clay, but is among the top players in the world with a ranking of 17. He has a powerful serve and groundstrokes, which can trouble any player on a given day.

Djokovic and Tiafoe have met each other twice so far, with the Serb winning both of those matches. However, neither of those matches took place on clay.

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Novak Djokovic's potential QF opponent - Jack Draper

Things should start getting difficult for the Serb from the quarterfinals onwards. His prospective opponent in the last eight might be Draper, who is ranked sixth in the world and won the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells last month.

Djokovic leads their head-to-head 1-0 by winning their only previous encounter at Wimbledon 2021. However, Draper is a different beast now and should pose a serious threat to the Serb.

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Novak Djokovic's potential SF opponent - Carlos Alcaraz

Djokovic has had a monumental rivalry with Alcaraz, ranked third in the world at the moment. The Spaniard recently won the Monte-Carlo Masters title and reached the final of the Barcelona Open.

Alcaraz is one of the few players in the world at the moment who will start as the favorite against Djokovic on clay. They have clashed eight times already in the past, with Djokovic winning five of those matches, the most famous of them being in the Olympic final at Roland Garros in 2024. However, one has to remember that Alcaraz has won the title a couple of times in Madrid.

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Novak Djokovic's potential Final opponent - Alexander Zverev

Zverev, the big German, is on the other half of the draw. He recently won the ATP 500 title in Munich and starts as one of the favorites to win the title in Madrid. Zverev is currently ranked second in the world and has won the title in Madrid twice.

Djokovic has met Zverev 13 times already and has won eight of those matches. However, the Serb might have to battle really hard to win his last two matches in Madrid, if he is to win his 41st Masters 1000 title there.