Big finals don’t get much tighter, or better, than Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka's melee in Madrid

Osaka, a four-time Grand Slam champion, returned to the Top 35 as a result of her Miami Open final run, but Madrid’s entry cut off had already passed by then. The former No. 1 was ousted in the second round of Madrid last year by Karolina Muchova.

As for Puig, the 2016 Olympic gold medalist last competed on September 28. 2020 when Roland Garros was staged in the Paris autumn. The former My Tennis Life star has been sidelined with an ongoing shoulder injury after multiple surgeries and kept busy by accepting a role with ESPN Deportes.

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Puig will be unranked when she takes the court again.

While Osaka and Puig aren’t necessarily surprising entries, Murray is. The 34-year-old previously indicated he would skip the European clay-court season in favor of an extensive training block with Ivan Lendl to prepare for the grass swing. Now the question begs: what has driven this 180-degree turn?

Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk, along with teenage standouts Linda Fruhvirtova and Zheng Qinwen, also received wild cards into the main draw of the combined 1000-level event. The same goes for Jack Draper, who has already racked up four Challenger titles in 2022.

Rafael Nadal could make his return from a rib injury on home soil at the Caja Magica, after withdrawing from his first two planned clay-court tournaments in Monte Carlo and Barcelona. The 21-time major champion shared on social media Monday that he began “light” hitting this week.

Aryna Sabalenka and Alexander Zverev are the defending champions.

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