Earlier this season, Andy Murray said that he wouldn't be competing on clay this year, however, he changed his mind and will play at the 2022 Madrid Open.
The British player triumphed at the Madrid Open in 2008 and 2015 after defeating Gilles Simon and Rafael Nadal, respectively, in the final matches. Former world number one was not supposed to play any clay-court event in 2022, but he changed his mind and will play in the Spanish capital.
However, Murray's draw was not very fortunate. He will take on two-time Roland Garros finalist Dominic Thiem in the first round of the ATP Masters 1000 competition, and if he is successful, he could play against current world number one Novak Djokovic in the third round.
Ahead of the tournament, world no. 9 Carlos Alcaraz, two-time Madrid champion Andy Murray, and WTA stars Paula Badosa and Simona Halep played at the Palacio de Cibeles on Friday, where the four entertained crowd with fancy shotmaking before turning their focus to match action at the ATP and WTA 1000 event.
Tournament director Feliciano Lopez and Madrid Mayor Jose Luis Martinez-Almeida hosted the competition in the Crystal Gallery of the Palacio de Cibeles. In a mini-match to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Madrid Open, the two ATP players faced off against their colleagues from the WTA Tour.
It was during that event, that Murray spoke about the wild card that he received for the Madrid Open, thanking the tournament director for a chance to play at La Caja Magica.
"The people of the sport always come out and support the tournament really well and they are very knowledgeable about the game. I am thankful for the opportunity Feliciano [Lopez] and his team gave me to come here and compete again. I had a nice crowd for my practice and I love coming back to play in Spain."