Marcos will face a stern test in the first round of the Mutua Madrid Open, facing 16th seed Gilles Simon. It will be their sixth encounter, owning a 3-2 head-to-head edge. Their most recent meeting came three years ago on the hard courts of Brisbane.
A win over Simon would see Marcos face either Grigor Dimitrov or wild card Pablo Carreno Busta, with a third round encounter against second seed and defending champion Andy Murray looming large.
Marcos is making his seventh appearance in the Spanish capital, having reached the second round on three occasions - in 2007, '10 and '11. He is looking to return to his winning ways, less than a month removed from his first clay-court quarter-final in four years in Houston.
