Alex de Minaur arrived at the Mutua Madrid Open with a distinctly tailored look, presented as part of the ATP’s “Athlete Arrivals” campaign and showcased in his Wilson wardrobe. Sharing the moment on Instagram, the world No. 8 wrote, “Madrid Vibes, nos vemos mañana,” followed by, “Ps: had the best stylist for this.”

The stylist credit was made explicit in the comments when fiancée Katie Boulter confirmed her role with a playful note: “In case you were wondering… stylist: Katie Boulter”. The exchange underlined the couple’s casual rapport and offered a light behind-the-scenes moment ahead of match play.

Both players are scheduled to appear on Manolo Santana Stadium on Friday in consecutive matches. De Minaur will open the evening against rising Spanish talent Rafael Jodar, and Boulter follows, set to meet former finalist Jessica Pegula. The back-to-back scheduling makes the pair one of the headline storylines for the session.

Earlier in the day the men’s tour highlighted Zizou Bergs in a carousel of images. The Belgian’s look worked with contrasting light and dark tones, an aesthetic that echoed De Minaur’s presentation. Tommy Paul responded to Bergs’ images with a wry comment: “Omw to go pay for laundry in Madrid!”

Bergs, 26, has become a recurring presence in the ATP’s fashion-focused initiative. The Belgian previously took part in the campaign’s launch at the BNP Paribas Open and returned for the Miami Open rollout before appearing again in Madrid. The ongoing series continues to spotlight players’ off-court presentation while threading those moments into tournament build-up.

The arrivals feature offered a brief, stylish preface to Friday’s competitive slate, pairing off-court personality with the on-court commitments that follow.

Episode 17 of The Big T focuses on two clear threads: the debate over Arthur Fils’ forehand and a reflective interview with Marcos Baghdatis. The show opened a conversation that began with a simple question posed on social media: “Is @ArthurFils FH the best in the men’s tennis game right now? @_markpetchey” Brad Gilbert replied that Fils’ “fearhand” is massive, while still favoring Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz. That exchange led to a co-host debate with Coco Vandeweghe (48:00) about the top forehands on tour. “I think it’s definitely top three,” said Vandeweghe. Gilbert placed Joao Fonseca in his top three and slotted Fils fourth. Both offered honorable mentions: Coco went with Jakub Mensik; BG with Jiri Lehecka. As Vandeweghe noted, “The players from Czechia have such weight of shot, because they play on fast courts and need to get that depth really quickly,” says Vandeweghe, “and it’s a flatter ball that pushes you further and further back.”

The episode also revisited Marcos Baghdatis’ peak years and his transition to developing young players. Twenty years ago at the Australian Open Baghdatis reached the final during an era dominated by Roger Federer. The show reminded listeners that “Federer won all his Slam finals in four sets, over Rafael Nadal (Wimbledon), Andy Roddick (US Open) and…Marcos Baghdatis (Australian Open).” Baghdatis reflected on his own ambitions: “I wanted to be No. 1 in the world. I wanted to push myself more … I was not patient enough. Marcos Baghdatis” (15:30). His career-high reached No. 8; he finished 2006 ranked 12th. The interview covered career records against the era’s top players (1-7 vs Federer, 1-9 vs Nadal, 0-8 vs Novak Djokovic) and his current role as tournament director of the IMG Future Stars Tournament, helping prepare the next generation.

Looking ahead to Roland Garros, the hosts discussed the vacancy created by Alcaraz being sidelined through Madrid and potentially Roland Garros. Gilbert placed Djokovic first despite limited clay this season: “First, at 39 years young, I would still go—with no playing in him [on clay this season]—Djoker,” says Gilbert. He listed Alexander Zverev second and Fils third, while Coco offered Ben Shelton as an honorable mention following his Munich win. To share your top three forehands for men’s and women’s tennis, email thebigt@tennischannel.com [thebigt@tennischannel.com], or call 844-678-BIGT. New episodes drop every Wednesday.

Venus Williams returned to clay singles for the first time since 2021 but left Madrid with a doubles plan in place. The 45-year-old lost her opening match at the Mutua Madrid Open, falling to fellow wild card Kaitlin Quevedo, 6-2, 6-4. The defeat moved Williams to 0-7 on the year.

“All these things take adjustments. I started my practice on clay a couple weeks after Miami,” she told press afterwards. “I haven’t really played on clay in years. But I enjoy the clay, it’s fun. I played against a very inspired opponent today.”

Her stay at the Caja Mágica continues in doubles. Williams will team with Great Britain’s Katie Boulter in a first-time pairing at the event. “She asked me to play, or her coach did. I would like to think she asked me to play, and I was happy to say yes,” laughed Williams.

“She’s got great energy. She’s got a great attitude. She’s a fighter. I’m looking forward to playing with her because I think our energies will really match.”

I was happy to say yes. Venus Williams on playing with Katie Boulter

Boulter is the fifth player set to join forces with Williams in 2026. Williams previously partnered Elina Svitolina (Auckland), Ekaterina Alexandrova (Australian Open), Peyton Stearns (Austin) and Leylah Fernandez (Miami). Williams and Fernandez teamed up to reach the 2025 US Open quarterfinals.

Williams also confirmed she will not play in the Internazionali BNL d’Italia in Rome. “I have other commitments, unfortunately, so I’m really super sad about that, actually,” she said. “My husband is Italian, so we feel sad that we can’t be there. So we would love to keep it going on the clay.”