The opening week of the ATP clay court season begins with three tournaments. One of these is the Grand Prix Hassan II in Marrakech. There is an exciting entry list for the tournament. This includes the evergreen Stan Wawrinka and 2021 Wimbledon runner-up Matteo Berrettini. However, four players have elected to withdraw from the event. This article lists those who have withdrawn and then names their four replacements in the draw.
Four Players Withdraw From The Grand Prix Hassan II
Which Players Have Withdrawn?
Alejandro Tabilo is the first player to withdraw from the Grand Prix Hassan II. It has been a terrific season so far for the Chilean. He won his first ATP title at the start of the season in Auckland, before reaching the final of his home tournament in Santiago. No official reason has been given for his decision not to play in Marrakech.
Tomas Machac is the second player to withdraw from the Grand Prix Hassan II. He had a very good tournament at the Miami Open, progressing to the quarterfinal before being stopped by Australian Open champion Jannik Sinner. It is likely that he feels some extra recovery time physically and mentally is needed after those exertions.
Christopher O’Connell has also withdrawn from the event. He reached the round of 16 in Miami, also exiting to Sinner. The Australian has played a lot of tournaments since the start of the season and may be electing to take the long flight home to Australia to spend some time with his family and friends.
Thiago Seyboth Wild is the final player to withdraw from the Grand Prix Hassan II. The Brazilian recently reached the third-round in Indian Wells and Miami. He also played one of the matches of the season against Andrey Rublev at the 2024 Australian Open, which he lost in a final-set tiebreak. No reason has been given for his absence in Marrakech.
Who Replaces Those Four Players In The Draw?
Corentin Moutet benefits from Tabilo’s decision to withdraw from the Grand Prix Hassan II. The Frenchman has suffered many early exits from tournaments this season. However, he did get to the semifinal on the clay courts at the Chile Open, which he ironically lost to Tabilo. He will hope a few months on the clay can reap more good results.
Arthur Rinderknech replaces Machac at the Grand Prix Hassan II. His most notable success this season was winning the Play In Challenger a few weeks ago in front of a home crowd in Lille. This was achieved with a thrilling victory in a final-set tiebreak against Joris De Loore.
Alexandre Muller is the third Frenchman to enter the draw in Marrakech due to O’Connell withdrawing. He has great memories at the tournament. Muller was the runner-up at the event last year, which is his only ATP final to date. He will hope to find inspiration again in Morocco.
Finally, Sumit Nagal is set to feature at the Grand Prix Hassan II. The Indian enjoys playing on clay, with four of his five Challenger Tour titles coming on the dirt.
Main Photo Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
