On Sunday, I spent much of the morning looking at a shiny red car that had been placed behind the players inside the center court in Madrid. On Monday morning I was greeted with a new view, of the white statues and marble rows of seats that surround those same players in Rome. The Caja Magica made progress this year, but there’s only one Foro Italico, and there’s no mistaking it. You can feel its chaotically slouched, sunnily cigarette-stained Old World atmosphere right through the TV screen. Like its home city, it’s eternal.
As you must have gathered from that first paragraph, play has begun in Rome. In fact, two full days have already have gone into the books while I’ve been watching and writing about Madrid. Before we fall any farther behind, here’s a look at the men's and women's draws, and what we might see in the week ahead. I’ll start with the men.