Kei Nishikori's impressive performance in winning the Barcelona Open for the second straight year and the withdrawal of world No. 1 Novak Djokovic have made the Shimane native the favorite at this week's Madrid Open.
Nishikori tore up the field in Barcelona last month, losing just one set in five matches on the way to the title. Despite not playing his best against Spain's Pablo Andujar in the final, Nishikori still prevailed in straight sets 6-4, 6-4.
Madrid, where Nishikori had to retire with a back injury last year while seemingly on the way to victory over Rafael Nadal, will provide a tougher test with Djokovic the only player in the world's top 10 missing from the field.