Nole arrived in Madrid on Wednesday with a 24-3 record on the season. He will defend his title at the second Masters event on clay in 2012, taking place from May 6 till May 13.
A year ago, Novak defeated Rafael Nadal in the Mutua Madrid Open final 7-5, 6-4. It was Nole’s first ever win on clay over the Spaniard.
The 2012 Australian Open and Miami champion is a top seed and has a first-round BYE.
He will open his campaign against world no.137 Spanish qualifier Daniel Gimeno-Traver who beat Romanian Victor Hanescu 7-6(3), 4-6, 6-3.
Novak’s potential opponents in the later stages of the tournament are:
3rd round: Feliciano Lopez (ESP, 13), Stanislas Wawrinka (SUI)
Quarter-finals: Janko Tipsarevic (SRB, 7), Gilles Simon (FRA, 9), Marcos Baghdatis (CYP)
Semi-finals: Roger Federer (SUI, 3), David Ferrer (ESP, 5)
Finals: Rafael Nadal (ESP,2), Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA, 4), Tomas Berdych (CZE, 6), Juan Martin del Potro (ARG, 10) …
