Rafael Nadal will hope to begin correcting a modest 1-2 career record at the 2.1-million-euro Madrid Masters when he plays for the first time as top seed at the event starting on Monday.
Spain's teenaged French Open champion takes the top spot at the penultimate Masters of the season in the injury absence of Roger Federer, out with right ankle ligament damage.
The 19-year-old will be playing for the first time in three weeks, after spending time training at home on the island of Mallorca.
Should his hardcourt game come right this week at an event which is expecting a massive crowd of 120,000 fans through the doors over the week in this Iberian tennis hotbed, he could level on 11 titles this season with Federer.