I really do love Masters tournaments. Almost every match is a match you want to see and the top seeds are tested immediately. There's no playing yourself into a Masters tournament.
That being said, if there was ever a rigged draw, this was it. Holy cow, Madrid hates Fed. Much like JJ in Zurich, Fed gets almost all the streaking, in form players.
Rafa's Quarter: Rafa will start out with the ever dangerous but ever streaky Ernie Gulby. Then he could have Reeshard, who hasn't been playing all that great as of late. The bottom half of his draw shouldn't give him too much worry either, as Daveeed, Stan, Carlos, and FeLo shouldn't be too tough. All this is to say, I pick the #1 to come out of this quarter.
Nole's Quarter: If Nole doesn't make it out of this quarter he is really going to need to take some time and regroup because he will have no excuse. Kolya is in the bottom of his quarter, but other than him, there isn't anyone else who should challenge him. Dr. Ivo, Blake, The Evil One, and Gilly shouldn't be in any form to stop him.
Muzzah's Quarter: Tricky but doable as most of the dangerous players will have to duke it out in the top half (A-Rod, Robredo, Monfils, and Gonzo). Tabasco and Cilic are the only players that could give him any trouble before the quarters. That being said, Andy hasn't played any tennis since his run to the USO finals, but we all know he's been hitting the gym and working hard. Whoever gets out of that top half (probably A-Rod) could cause him problems, but I think he'll still get through.
Fed's Quarter: Oof. Considering how tired Fed keeps saying he is, I just don't see him getting out of this quarter. He's got a first round match with Radek, a potential second rounder with Jo, and then possibly The Elf, Fat Dave, or Big Berd in the quarters. That's a crew of in-form players who have been playing since the USO and have been playing very very well. I want to see another Fed/Muzzah rematch, but I'll be surprised if that happens.
Semis: Rafa vs. Nole; Muzzah vs. Crazy Train
Finals: Nole vs. Muzzah
Winner: Muzzah
So let's get it started. Here's the OOP for Monday:
Center Court (11 AM)
Darcis vs. Fish
Bolleli vs. Almagro
Simon vs. Andreev
Seppi vs. Robredo (NB 8pm)
Schuettler vs. Berdych
Court 1 (11AM)
Rochus vs. Cilic (NB 5pm)
