By Richard Pagliaro | @Tennis_Now | Wednesday, April 3, 2024
Two-time champion Simona Halep, Caroline Wozniacki and Kei Nishikori are among the stars receiving wild cards into the Mutua Madrid Open.
Photo credit: Getty for Mutua Madrid Open
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Former world No. 1 players Halep and Caroline Wozniacki lead the list of women's wild cards for the Mutua Madrid Open, set for April 22nd-May 5th in Madrid's Caja Magica.
Kei Nishikori, the 2014 Madrid runner-up to Rafael Nadal, leads the list of men's wild cards. Nishikori, a Madrid semifinalist in 2015 and 2016 is set for his 10th Madrid appearance.
The 34-year-old Nishikori took a wild card into last month's Miami Open where he lost to Sebastian Ofner 6-3, 6-4 in his 2024 debut.
Spanish teenager Martin Landaluce, the 2022 US Open boys' champion, has also received a Madrid main-draw wild card.
The 32-year-old Halep launched her comeback in Miami last month after earning a reduced suspension from the Court of Arbitration for Sport in her appeal of a doping ban. Halep pushed Paula Badosa to three sets at the Miami Open before bowing 6-1, 4-6, 3-6.
Two-time Grand Slam champion Halep has enjoyed great success in Madrid. Halep defeated Dominika Cibulkova in the 2016 Madrid final and successfully defended her championship beating Kristina Mladenovic in the 2017 final.
Halep was was Madrid runner-up to Maria Sharapova in the 2014 final and lost to Kiki Bertens, 6-4, 6-4, in the 2019 final. In her most recent Madrid appearance, Halep beat Paula Badosa and Coco Gauff to reach the 2022 quarterfinals losing to Ons Jabeur 6-3, 6-2.
When Madrid was owned by former ATP pro Ion Tiriac, Halep's Romanian compatriot and fried, she said it felt like a home tournament.
"I feel good every time I come to Madrid," Halep said back in 2019. "And I'm happy to be back winning matches. It's a special place.
"Many friends are coming—Ilie Nastase, Nadia Comăneci—many others. It's nice to play in front of them and when you feel like home you can play better."