 Nadal became the first player who defended his Madrid title since the tournament inception in 2002 when Kei Nishikori retired in the final because of back injury.Nishikori was leading Nadal 6–2, 4–2, but Nishikori suffered a back injury in the 7th game, allowing Nadal to take the upper hand before ultimately retiring at 0–3 in the 3rd set.The top eight seeds receive a bye into the second round.