Friday was the first day of the 2017 Mutua Madrid Open in the Spanish capital and the event kicked off with a bang as the day was packed with activities. While the qualifying action was happening on the outer courts, the draw was being made with the help of local hero Carla Suarez Navarro. Afterwards, the tournament’s top seeds met with the media for the All Access Hour.
While qualifiers were fighting for their main-draw ticket, practice action was in full swing as well. Among the busy bees out on court was Maria Sharapova, a five-time Grand Slam champion who entered the event with a wildcard and will play Mirjana Lucic-Baroni in the first round.
Speaking of Sharapova, one of her former team members, Didi Kindlmann, was busy as the new coach of Madison Keys, taking over duties from Lindsay Davenport who will remain on Keys’ team for Grand Slams.
In the evening, Caroline Wozniacki, Monica Puig, Simona Halep and Donna Vekic flocked into the Madrid city center for the annual players’ party on the blue carpet.
Main-draw play at the 2017 Mutua Madrid Open will kick off tomorrow as the tournament is not wasting any time this year. Keep checking back to Women’s Tennis Blog for all the latest from Madrid all week long.
MORE PHOTOS FROM MADRID:
Maria really attracted a lot of spectators even in the practice grounds.