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Tennis tips today – Matches today 04.05.
Showcase Madrid! The anticipation for the French Open may already be high, but tennis fans are certainly not bored these days. The Spanish capital is home to the entire world elite.
Everything that has rank, name and fitness is here at the start. While the women are already on course for the final next weekend, the men are just getting started.
Some stars who are sent into the tournament with a walk-through are even still in training mode. A lot of highly exciting matches have been announced for Wednesday, and we can finally read the big names in the tableau.
Admittedly, German participation is very scarce, but with such a large list of favourites, the Mutua Open should also be anything but boring in 2022.
Tennis Tips Today – 04.05.2022 Preview Day x
You should have Jannik Sinner on your radar at every tournament, including Madrid. However, the South Tyrolean has to master a tough start, meets Alex de Minaur. With odds of 1.50 to 2.60, he is ahead, but rather narrowly.
The bookmakers, on the other hand, see a very clear situation when Casper Ruud enters the race. Dusan Lajovic has relatively little chance in their eyes, as the odds of 1.10 to 5.60 prove. Recently, however, Ruud has been anything but in top form!
Whenever John Isner is on court, you expect long matches with tiebreaks. This time Cameron Norrie has to face the giant and take his serve away. The Briton is favoured, but with 1.70 to 2.15 one expects a close match overall.
Diego Schwartzman, a specialist on clay, would probably have wished for an easier opponent in the first round than Grigor Dimitrov. Both are likely to be at a similar level, which should heighten the tension with Schwartzman as the favourite.
David against Goliath, such a duel is expected between Lucas Pouille and Stefanos Tsitsipas. The Greek can definitely fail against outsiders, but has been quite consistent this year. We don’t even need to look at the odds here, the favourite doesn’t even achieve a 1.10!
Tennis tips today broadcast: Where will the matches be played on 04.05.?
The second biggest clay court tournament will of course also be broadcast on TV. Since Sunday, Sky Sport has been involved, showing the matches including background information also in the live stream. The broadcast starts at around 12 noon, so you won’t miss a thing. From Friday, the quarter-finals, it will start a little later.
Tennis tips today 04.05: Alex de Minaur – Jannik Sinner (12:00 h)
Number 12 against number 22, the duel between Alex de Minaur and Jannik Sinner doesn’t exactly read like being at the very beginning of a tournament. The Italian is favoured, probably also because of the direct comparison.
He has won all three matches, including the one played at the Australian Open 2022 (7-6, 6-3, 6-4). A year ago, Sinner was eliminated in Madrid after the second match, but this time he is expected to advance further.
His 6-7, 7-6, 6-3 1st round loss to Tommy Paul showed there was a bit of effort in his game. After retiring from Indian Wells due to injury, Sinner at least reached the semi-finals in Miami and Monte Carlo.
Alex de Minaur had to fight similarly in his opening match, winning 7-6, 1-6, 6-3 against Pedro Martinez. He gave his opponent 17 break chances alone! His semi-final in Barcelona made it clear that he has long belonged to the world’s elite.
Our Expert Tip: Win Sinner
Tennis tips today 04.05: Dusan Lajovic – Casper Ruud (13:30)
You never quite know what you’re going to see on court with Casper Ruud. The Norwegian can play big, as he did in his final appearance in Miami, but he can also perform very differently.
He was already weak in Monte Carlo and Barcelona, but the negative highlight happened a few days ago in Munich. He had no chance against Botic van de Zandschulp, a disaster by his own standards.
His current opponent, Dusan Lajovic, started in Madrid already in the qualification and survived it with sovereign victories against Adrian Mannarino and Roberto Carballes. At the start in the main draw, he finally managed to beat Borna Coric 6-3, 4-6, 6-4.
Worryingly: This year, the Serb has never gone beyond two matches at a tournament. His direct record against Ruud also leaves a lot to be desired, he has lost all three duels without winning a set.
Our Expert Tip: Over 19.5 Games
Tennis tips today 04.05: Cameron Norrie – John Isner (15:00)
A close result including a tiebreak, of course, is how John Isner started his tournament in Madrid. 37 years old by now, the US American beat Filip Krajinovic 7-6, 6-4 in his opener and he has been known for such results for almost 20 years.
Once again he is competing in singles and doubles, with a partner at his side Isner has been much more successful this year. However, he travelled to Madrid with the recommendation of the Houston final. He already made the acquaintance of Cameron Norrie in 2022.
In Acapulco he lost a close match in three sets, overall the direct comparison is 2:2. No single encounter had less than 23 games. The Englishman entered the Spanish capital with a tight 7-5, 7-5 against Soon-woo Kwon, visibly struggling.
Before that, in Monte Carlo and Barcelona, all his matches had three sets, so he is also capable of close results a la John Isner. In his debut in Madrid, he goes into his 2nd round as the favourite, but the odds show that John Isner is definitely on an equal footing.
Our expert tip: Over 2.5 sets
Tennis tips today 04.05: Diego Schwartzman – Grigor Dimitrov (15:00)
After a break of almost five years, Diego Schwartzman and Grigor Dimitrov will meet once again on Wednesday. The diminutive Argentine, who attracted attention with the Barcelona semi-final, had to cancel Estoril for health reasons.
In Madrid, the start was quite bumpy, Schwartzman won 6-2, 6-7, 6-1 against Benoit Paire. It was strong that he did not concede a single break. Dimitrov, on the other hand, was a little more confident, beating Maxime Cressy 6-2, 7-6.
In recent months, the Bulgarian has alternated between strong and weak performances, but the fact that he has now managed to get past the first round for the first time since 2017 in Madrid does not exactly suggest that the Mutua Open is one of his favourite tournaments.
Our expert tip: Dimitrov wins the set
Tennis tips today 04.05: Lucas Pouille – Stefanos Tsitsipas (15:00)
Stefanos Tsitsipas and the world number 174, can anything really go wrong here? The top favourite in this clash is looking to reach the Madrid final again after 2019, when he lost outright to Novak Djokovic.
The fifth-best tennis player in the rankings is definitely in good form, as he proved not only in his triumph in Monte Carlo. In Miami and Barcelona, he was unlucky in both cases because Carlos Alcaraz was just a tad stronger than him.
Lucas Pouille saved himself the trouble of qualifying in Madrid, instead starting with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Karen Khachanov. Even before this encounter, the 28-year-old had been the clear underdog, but now his odds are almost in double figures.
In recent weeks, the Frenchman has not really been convincing and has mostly competed in less well-staffed Challenger tournaments. In addition, he lost both duels against Stefanos Tsitsipas outright.
Our Expert Tip: Under 18.5 Games
