The Madrid Open 2024 tennis tournament is set to get underway at the Park Manzanares in Spain from Wednesday. The Australian challenge will be spearheaded by Alex de Minaur, Jordan Thompson and Matthew Ebden.

Currently 11th in the ATP tennis rankings and seeded 10th for the ATP Masters 1000 tournament, de Minaur will be the one to keep an eye out for.

The 25-year-old defeated Casper Ruud in the Mexican Open final in March and in February, he made it to the final of the Rotterdam Open, only to lose to Australian Open champion Jannik Sinner.

He also progressed to the quarter-finals of the Monte Carlo Masters before suffering a straight-set defeat at the hands of world No. 1 Novak Djokovic. A three-time Madrid Open winner, Djokovic has decided to withdraw from the tournament this year to focus on the French Open next month.

De Minaur also battled 22-time grand slam champion Rafael Nadal in the round of 32 of the Barcelona Open, defeating him 7-5, 6-1. A rematch could be on the cards here in the round of 64 in Madrid if Nadal, a five-time Madrid Open winner, beats Darwin Blanch of the USA in his opener. De Minaur has been given a first-round bye.

Meanwhile, Jordan Thompson has also been handed a bye in the first round. He won the Los Cabos tournament in February, beating Casper Ruud in straight sets in the final.

De Minaur and Thompson will also be accompanied by four other Australians in the main draw. Chris O’Connell is set to face world No. 36 Matteo Arnaldi of Italy while Max Purcell will take on world No. 51 Marcos Giron of the USA in the first round.

Aleksandar Vukic is up against world No. 85 Taro Daniel of Japan and Alexei Popyrin will clash with world No. 41 Mariano Navone of Argentina. Meanwhile, Thanasi Kokkinakis has to face former US Open champion Dominic Thiem in the final round of qualifying.

Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz, who has won the last two Madrid Open titles, will start his title defence from the second round.

In the women’s singles, two Australians – Daria Saville and Astra Sharma – are trying to make it to the main round from the qualifiers.

Saville defeated Anastasia Zakharova 6-1, 5-7, 6-2 and will face Jaqueline Cristian of Romania in the final qualifier. Sharma will be up against Maria Carle of Argentina after beating USA’s Katie Volynets 6-4, 1-6, 6-4 in the first qualifier.

Former world No. 1 Simona Halep has decided to pull out of the Madrid Open to work on her fitness. The women’s event will be led by world No. 1 Iga Swiatek of Poland and reigning champion Arya Sabalenka.

In the men’s doubles, three-time Grand Slam champion Matthew Ebden will be in focus as he and his partner, India’s Rohan Bopanna, will be the top seeds. Bopanna and Ebden are also the reigning Australian champions.

The full Madrid Open 2024 doubles entry list will be released later. The tournament will conclude on May 5.

How to watch Madrid Open 2024 tennis live in Australia

The Madrid Open 2024 tennis tournament will be live streamed on the beIN Sports app and website. The Madrid Open 2024 tournament will also be broadcast live on beIN Sports TV channel in Australia.

Australian tennis players at Madrid Open 2024

Men’s singles: Alex de Minaur, Jordan Thompson, Alexei Popyrin, Max Purcell, Christopher O’Connell, Aleksandar Vukic, Thanasi Kokkinakis

Women’s singles: Daria Saville, Astra Sharma

Men’s doubles: Matthew Ebden-Rohan Bopanna (IND)