Zhang old-school style?

The Chinese player could build on his 2023 quarterfinal run to get back to that level.

It's the tournament where Zhang first made a name for himself, but you can't really say he's confirmed that level since then; he's clearly stagnating and only plays well in phases. His 2025 season was riddled with injuries and this season he's finally finding a bit of consistency. It's not amazing yet, but let's say he's on the right track, and for me he’s still a dangerous player at certain tournaments, including Madrid. I already thought he showed good things in terms of level in Houston despite losing to Shelton, and I can say the same about his tournament in Munich last week, again despite a tight defeat. Clay really suits him, his forehand is a real weapon on it since he can put a lot of spin and still flatten the ball at times. Madrid is ideal for his short, attacking patterns, I’m expecting a good performance from him.

I'm a bit more mixed on Kopriva, who I don't think has been at his best for a few weeks now. He keeps grinding out wins and fights hard, but I'm not as excited as I was during the Golden Swing for example; I feel like he's losing some speed. I'm not convinced by his game at altitude either, his shots are quite flat and I’d rather see him play elsewhere, let's say. Now, he’s still a dangerous clay-courter, especially this season, and he’s still ahead of Zhang in terms of match management on clay, but I think the conditions in Madrid are favorable enough for the Chinese that we can consider bets on his side.