The Mutua Madrid Open Virtual has kicked off! Not without some initial controversy and confusion, as Gael Monfils had to pull out due to conflicts with the streaming platform and will be replaced by Benoit Paire. That’s unfortunate given he was our favorite going into this virtual tournament. Also, some fans have been disappointed with the actual game that the tournament is being played in, stating that there are other better options out there such as AO Tennis 2. Finally, there seems to be some confusion about where to watch the matches. The matches are being streamed through Facebook’s new gaming streaming app, so all you need to do is visit Mutua Madrid’s Facebook page and you’ll land right on the stream.

Now onto some of the juicier matchups that we’ll see in the next couple of days. There are four groups on both the men’s and the women, with four players each. The top two out of the groups qualify for the quarterfinals. The most entertaining matchups I think are the following:

• In Group 1 from the men is going to be Rafa Nadal and Andy Murray. They are good friends and the banter should be fun to hear.
• In group 2, Schwartzman and Isner will be fun to see, given the size differential. How does it play out in the virtual world?
• In Group 3 Tsitsipas and Tiafoe will be entertaining. Both will bring their youthful energy to this contest I’m sure.
• In Group 3 of the women, I’m looking forward to seeing Mladenovic vs. now retired tennis great Wozniacki. I’ve seen both of them excited about playing through their social accounts, so they will bring some good enthusiasm.
• In Group 4 Bouchard vs. Vekic should be fun as well. Maybe the virtual game can revitalize her career!

For more info on scheduling of matchups and streaming make sure you follow Mutua Madrid on Facebook.

Like always, don’t forget to jump on to the TennisPAL app to stay up to date on tennis news, find groups of friends to play with, and get a virtual coach to help with your tennis game!