Fernando Verdasco Blasts Mutua Madrid Open Wild Cards

Spanish gamers aren’t getting many Mutua Madrid Open main-draw wild playing cards and Fernando Verdasco is fuming.

The 121st-ranked Verdasco, whose rating has slipped lately as he’s battled knee accidents, took to Twitter to name the match out.

Madrid awarded one main-draw wild card to a Spanish participant, Carlos Gimeno, whereas allocating main-draw wild playing cards to former No. 1 Andy Murray, Jack Draper and Frenchman Lucas Pouille.

On the ladies’s facet, former world No. 1 Naomi Osaka, 2016 Olympic gold-medal champion Monica Puig, Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk, China’s Qinwen Zhang and Czech Linda Fruhvirtova have been granted wild playing cards.

Verdasco mentioned it’s irritating to see Spain’s largest match shut Spanish gamers out of untamed playing cards.

“Given the announcement as we speak of the Mutua Madrid Open concerning the invites they may provide for this yr’s match, many Spanish gamers can’t assist however give our opinion,” Verdasco posted on Twitter. “We discover it stunning, in addition to very irritating, that the largest tennis occasion in Spain exhibits such little (or no) help for Spanish tennis gamers with the invites granted, particularly to the primary attracts.”

NOTA IMPORTANTE ⬇️🇪🇸 pic.twitter.com/t5iJwnmvrE

— Fernando Verdasco (@FerVerdasco) April 20, 2022

IMG, which additionally owns the Miami Open, lately accomplished its buy of the Mutua Madrid Open. The match is rewarding IMG shoppers, reasonably than Spanish gamers, with wild playing cards.

World No. 3 Paula Badosa supported Verdasco in a reply to his tweet.

Muy triste de ver cosas así para el tenis español. Cuándo encima hay muchísimo potencial…
Yo hace un año entre al torneo por un WC y hice de los mejores torneos de mi carrera. Un torneo que nunca olvidaré gracias a un WC.

— Paula Badosa (@paulabadosa) April 20, 2022

“Very unhappy to see issues like this for Spanish tennis,” Badosa posted. “When there’s a variety of potential…

“A yr in the past I entered the match for a WC and I did top-of-the-line tournaments of my profession. A match that I’ll always remember due to a WC…”

“It’s an enormous alternative for everybody, and it’s a disgrace that the one match we’ve at a stage like this, this occurs… We’ve got to offer our tennis gamers alternatives to proceed rising… 🙏💔”