Landaluce: "I have to see this tournament as just another one so it doesn't hurt me more than usual"

Fernando Murciego | 24 Apr 2026 | 08.00

The Madrid native did not overcome his debut against Adam Walton at the Masters 1000 at home. A disappointing result that does not overshadow his great moment: "That first victory will come." Source: Getty

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The best moment in Martín Landaluce's career was not enough to survive the first round of the Mutua Madrid Open 2026, where he was surprised on the court by the Australian Adam Walton. With evident sadness, the Spaniard later spoke to the media.

They say that the face is the mirror of the soul, a saying that always holds true for Martín Landaluce. It shows when he wins, but also when he loses. Especially if he loses in a tournament like the Mutua Madrid Open, where that first joy still eludes him after four participations. Gasquet in 2023, Altmaier in 2024, Norrie in 2025, and Walton in 2026. The Madrid native left the Arantxa Sánchez Vicario Court affected, but he expressed confidence that the prize will eventually come. These were his words after bidding farewell to the tournament.

Painful defeat against Walton

"We have to review the match again to see what happened, what was missing. The feelings are quite bad; I was really looking forward to playing here, but the level was low. Another year where I enjoyed the first days, but then the match didn't go as I wanted. The match was pretty bad, but at least I enjoyed the presence of the crowd; the people were amazing."

Adam's merit or Martín's fault?

"It was mostly my part. He is a player who plays more defensively, waiting for the opponent's mistakes, although today he did serve quite well. In the end, the match depended more on me, not because I consider myself a better player, but because I am a player who goes for winners more and today I missed many shots. That part was more on me, while he did his job very well."

Pressure from playing in front of his home crowd

"I usually bring out my best version when I have the crowd on my side, but today was not the case. I didn't feel nervous or tense, I started well from the beginning, doing my things, but I let many games slip away due to details I didn't quite understand. Playing at home always entails more pressure; these days I also didn't train very well, so perhaps there were indeed some nerves, which would be normal."

Martín Landaluce at the Mutua Madrid Open. Source: Getty

Fresh start

"I want to perform better on clay; perhaps next week we'll play in France. I have to correct the things that didn't go well this week; last week was a bit similar, understand what I'm doing well and continue in this direction. Today is a defeat; I have to try to see it as just another tournament so it doesn't hurt me more than usual. I have been doing things well; I am at my best ranking moment, and I am calm in terms of tennis. I enjoy playing tennis; these defeats don't hurt me if mentally I have done things as I wanted, which was the case here."

Martín Landaluce and the elusive victory in Madrid

"It is the tournament where I most want to win matches and dedicate them to all the people who support and encourage me, including my family. So far, it's resisting, in life things are like that, there's no need to rush. If it's not happening yet, it's for a reason; it will surely make us stronger. When that victory comes, which will happen here in Madrid, and more than one, I will cherish it much more. No rush, and looking for more next year."

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Landaluce: “Tengo que ver este torneo como uno más para que no me haga más daño de lo normal”