FTL Insider: Rafa… but who else?

Let’s get it out in the open straight away, if you haven’t got Rafael Nadal ($19.38m) in your fantasytennisleague.com team for the rest of the clay court season then you’ve got problems.

Rather than waste time expounding the many virtues of Rafa on clay, it’s probably best to look at who might push him on the dirt – and who you might want to include in your starting eight.

It’s about time that Stan Wawrinka ($13.65m) stepped up this season. It goes without saying that the Stanimal is a notoriously streaky player. However, when he is ‘on’ he is unstoppable, and he has a tendency to peak around Grand Slams.

Will either Andy Murray ($15.18m) or Novak Djokovic ($14.95m) find their form in Madrid? The signs were promising for the world No.1 in Barcelona, but clay is not his strongest surface. While Murray’s competitive fire always burns bright, the Brit will likely be aiming to peak for Wimbledon this year. Novak, meanwhile, is a completely unknown entity at the moment and if you’re tempted to invest then check Saturday’s draw first. If the draw is kind to him, he could represent a decent investment, although be mindful that his price is likely to drop in the coming weeks.

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Elsewhere, three mid-range names who are worth checking out are David Goffin ($10.69m), Dominic Thiem ($9.3m) and Albert Ramos-Vinolas ($9.69m). All look like solid point scorers in the coming weeks, with Goffin and Thiem also handy on grass and hard court.

If you’re operating on a more modest budget, Pablo Cuevas ($7.35m) is usually strong on the dirt, so is Fabio Fognini ($7.39m), while Alex Zverev feels like a good long-term investment at $7.45m.

Unlike the men, you could throw a dart at the women’s draw and have as good a chance of predicting the winner in Madrid as anyone else. So in lieu of an out-and-out favourite, who looks like a solid investment?

With pricey stars like Caroline Wozniacki ($14.88m), Svetlana Kuznetsova ($12.66m) and Karolina Pliskova ($12.11m) all looking shaky on the clay, it is perhaps worth looking at someone like Simona Halep ($8.02m). The Romanian, who happens to be a friend of the tournament owner, won the event in 2016 and appears to be finding form after a tricky start to the year.

Alternatively, Kristina Mladenovic ($11.45m) has been one of the WTA’s more consistent performers of late, and is undoubtedly a threat on the clay. The same could be said for Stuttgart champion Laura Siegemund ($8.34m), who was in devastating form in Germany. And if Elina Svitolina ($11.37m) gets the right kind of draw she could go very deep.

What about Maria Sharapova ($11.14m)? The Russian looked solid during her comeback in Stuttgart, but it feels like a stretch to say that she is a bona fide contender for the Madrid title (or Rome, for that matter). However, if anyone has the power to upset the odds, it’s Maria.

Top Tip: Save trades by picking a team for Madrid and Rome – back-to-back top tier tournaments.
Buy: Rafael Nadal ($19.38m). No explanation needed.
Sell: Angelique Kerber ($10.74m). The tournament’s top seed is a far-cry from the player who dominated 2016.