In 1998, he was singles runner-up and team champion at the national juvenile championship, this time competing for the Faro Tennis Centre.

One year later, Machado decided to attend a summer training camp of the Catalan Tennis Federation, in Barcelona.

There he took the decision of pursuing a professional tennis career and with his family's help, he kept on training and finished his secondary education in Spain.

In July, he earned his first ATP ranking point at a Spanish leg of the ITF Futures circuit.

Despite being accepted to study economics at a Catalan university, Machado decided to concentrate his efforts on tennis and initiate a fully professional career.

In April of that year, he entered his first ATP Challenger Series event in Olbia, Italy, ranked no.

He followed that with two straight Challenger quarterfinal runs in France and Italy, beating in the process former top-60 players Álex Calatrava 6–0, 6–1 and Juan Antonio Marín 6–4, 6–3.

Attempting to return to his previous level, Machado achieved modest results that helped him, nonetheless, to climb back to no.

Machado made his definitive comeback to high-level competition in early 2008 with an impressive winning streak of 26 consecutive matches in the Futures circuit.

Machado would add yet another one in May, beating Antonio Pastorino in a hard-fought three-set final in Napoli 6–4, 3–6, 7–6.

In the meantime, he helped Portugal to a 4–1 defeat of Tunisia in their Euro/African Zone – Group II Davis Cup match in Estoril.

75 Iván Navarro, 6–4, 6–1, only to lose in the next round to Eduardo Schwank, by two tiebreak-deciding sets after having won the first.

In late February, Machado won his first Challenger-level tournament in Meknes, Morocco, surpassing no.

In July, Machado played for Portugal in the 2009 Davis Cup Europe/Africa Zone Group II.

He recorded the largest win in tennis history, defeating Algeria's Valentin Rahmine 6–0, 6–0, 6–0.

Machado entered the Estoril Open as a wildcard, in virtue of his low ranking, but he eventually achieved his career's best result by reaching the quarter finals.

He paved his way by defeating higher ranked players: Nicolás Massú (92nd; 6–2, 6–4) and Michał Przysiężny (97st[clarification needed]; 6–4, 6–4), losing only to his friend Frederico Gil (133rd; 4–6, 7–6, 6–3).

Machado began the season losing in the Aircel Chennai Open in the first round to Alejandro Falla (105th) by 7–5, 6–3.

Machado entered the Estoril Open as a wildcard, in virtue of his low ranking, but he eventually qualified directly, for the first time, because of pre-tournament drop-outs.

His last tournament of the season was the 2011 ATP Challenger Tour Finals in São Paulo, Brazil.

With this result Machado finish 3rd in his group with the same points of two others players qualified for the semi-finals and he was eliminated by game difference.

128 Rubén Ramírez Hidalgo, the oldest player in the main draw at 34, by 6–3, 1–6, 6–2 in two hours in the Brasil Open, in São Paulo.

The third-seeded Frenchman converted four of his nine break point opportunities against Machado to wrap up the victory in two hours and five minutes.

A week later, at Abierto Mexicano Telcel he suffer his sixth consecutive lost in a first round of a tournament to no.

In May, at the Estoril Open Machado improved to 1–10 on the year by beating in the first round wild card and friend no.

12 Juan Martín del Potro who got his Estoril Open title defence off to a fine start with a 6–1, 6–0 victory in only 1h3m.

The unheralded Portuguese player, who was 25 centimetres smaller than his opponent took Anderson to five sets, before losing by 7–6(2), 6–7(6), 4–6, 6–1, 11–9 in 4h50m in a match that was carried over from the previous day.

Machado, started his year in February, after a long absence from injury, in Davis Cup against Alexis Klegou from Benim winning 2–6, 6–2, 6–0.

In April, in Davis Cup he won with Gastão Elias the doubles game that give Portugal the decisive point to win the tie in the second round against Lithuania by 6–3, 6–0, 6–2 in only 1h27m.

Machado debuted for the Portugal Davis Cup team in 2003 and played 34 matches in 27 ties.