More Retirements 
Venus Williams will face Samantha Stosur in the Quarterfinals
Nadal talks to the media following his second round win
- Celebrities
- There is no doubt that the biggest celebrity at the tournament is Nadal, who already draws crowds in any tournament he participates. But in Madrid, it’s just insane. At the end of Wednesday’s practice, security had to pull away a fan that was bear-hugging Nadal’s head with the player unable to escape. And Nadal himself draws celebrities to his matches. Real Madrid soccer players Raúl González and Cristiano Ronaldo, French soccer legend Zinedine Zidane and Mexican singer Paulina Rubio could be seen watching Nadal beat Ukranian player Oleksandr Dolgopolov Jr. in a far from spectacular performance. Nadal explained later that, “[Dolgopolov]’s not a nice opponent to play at all because of his style and the execution of his shots. It was difficult to see him, to see his shots; I never knew if the ball was coming fast or slow.” We’ll see today how the altitude of Madrid, which bothers Nadal so much, affects his game and that of his next opponent, John Isner.