The clay court season is officially upon us, meaning that the Monte Carlo Masters is just around the corner. Unfortunately for tournament organizers, however, most of the early buzz surrounding the third Masters event of the season has focused on who isn’t going to be there.
Already this week, three of the ATP Tour’s biggest names have withdrawn. Eleven-time champion Rafael Nadal announced that his lingering hip injury hasn’t healed enough to be ready for Monte Carlo. Meanwhile, hand and spine issues will force world No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz to miss the event and fellow young gun Felix Auger-Aliassime will be sidelined with a knee issue.
As always, though, out of misfortune come opportunities. The absence of three major contenders opens things up considerably for the rest of the field. Here are some of the players who could take advantage:
Stefanos Tsitsipas
The sunshine swing proved rather bumpy for Stefanos Tstitsipas, who was edged by Jordan Thompson in a marathon second-round match at Indian Wells and then fell to Karen Khachanov in the round of 16 in Miami. The dawn of the clay season and a return to an event where he stands as the two-time reigning champion could go a long way in putting those performances behind him.
Tsitsipas was always going to be a favorite to take home a third straight Monte Carlo title, but the absence of other stars, particularly the Spaniards Nadal and Alcaraz, open things up considerably for the world No. 3 from Greece. While he won’t earn top seed honors – No. 1 Novak Djokovic is in the draw – Tsitsipas will benefit from no Alcaraz by assuming the second seed and, with it, ensuring he won’t encounter Djokovic until the final.
Embed from Getty Images
Tommy Paul
Coming off of a semifinal showing at the Australian Open and a trip to the final in Acapulco, Tommy Paul had high hopes for some success on home soil at Indian Wells and in Miami. Unfortunately, two obstacles stood in his way: Auger-Aliassime and Alcaraz. Auger-Aliassime ousted Paul during a tight Round of 16 match at Indian Wells, while Alcaraz ended his Miami run in the same round.
Now, neither one of those young players will be around to get in Paul’s way. Moreover, the trio of announced withdrawals should bump the 25-year-old into the top-16, which would come with an automatic first-round bye. Paul doesn’t have the best track record on clay, but a cushy seed at a Masters event to start the season can’t hurt.
Embed from Getty Images
Daniil Medvedev
Daniil Medvedev’s ranking was down at No. 12 as recently as February, so his nearly untouchable string of hot play couldn’t have come at a better time. Since falling in the third round of the Australian Open, Medvedev has gone 25-1 with four titles, most recently in Miami, to bring his ranking back up to No. 4 in the world.
With the clay season upon us, there are no guarantees that Medvedev’s torrid stretch continues. Now on what is the Russian’s weakest surface, he will get set to play Monte Carlo for the first time since 2019, when he reached the semifinals. It won’t be easy, but his path to a deep run becomes a lot more clear without Nadal, Alcaraz, and Auger-Aliassime in the way.
Embed from Getty Images
Novak Djokovic
Look, the world No. 1 doesn’t need to avoid anyone in order to have a strong chance at any tournament he’s in. That being said, a little help along the way never hurt, particularly for a player who missed the entire sunshine swing on account of his vaccination status and, thus, has only played in one tournament since winning the Australian Open.
That being said, Djokovic stands to benefit from the absences more in the chase for No. 1 than the pursuit of a third Monte Carlo title. After regaining his No. 1 ranking with Alcaraz’s loss in Miami, the Serbian superstar holds a narrow, 380-point lead on the top spot over the young Spaniard. He enters the Masters event with just second-round points to defend from a year ago, offering significant potential to pad his lead at a time when we know some points are coming off for his injured young rival.
Main Photo Credit: Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports
