The second clay-court Masters 1000 event of the season for ATP players starts on Wednesday at the Madrid Open. Australian Open champion Jannik Sinner is the No. 1 seed at the tournament. We at LWOT already reported on three players who elected to withdraw from the Madrid Open. This article names four additional players who have taken that decision and then lists their four replacements in the draw.
Four More ATP Players Withdraw From Madrid Open
Novak Djokovic was the first player to withdraw from the Madrid Open. The 24-time Grand Slam champion’s decision does not appear to be due to a physical issue. Djokovic has now skipped the tournament three times in the last four years, with the subsequent event in Rome usually his priority.
Laslo Djere was the second player to withdraw from the Madrid Open. The Serbian retired from his Monte-Carlo Masters match against the eventual champion Stefanos Tsitsipas due to an injury. He has not recovered from this problem to compete in Spain.
Matteo Berrettini also withdrew from the event. The 2021 Wimbledon runner-up announced that he could not play due to an illness that has evolved into tonsillitis and a fever. This is a shame since Berrettini started his clay-court season magnificently by winning the title in Marrakech at the start of the month.
Mackenzie McDonald was the final player to withdraw from the Madrid Open. Unfortunately, the American has not competed since the Australian Open because of ongoing injury problems. It is not currently known when McDonald will return to the ATP Tour.
Who Replaces Those Four Players In The Draw?
Luca Van Assche enters the Madrid Open main draw due to Djokovic electing to withdraw. The 19-year-old has made a slow start to the clay-court season, losing three of his first four matches. Van Assche is still very good on the dirt at his best. He will be hopeful of finding more success in Spain.
Arthur Rinderknech replaces Djere at the Madrid Open. His most recent tournament was the Monte-Carlo Masters, where failed to come through qualifying after a defeat to clay-court specialist Federico Coria.
Daniel Elahi Galan benefits from Berrettini’s decision to withdraw. The Colombian, who beat Stefanos Tsitsipas at the 2022 US Open, progressed to the Round of 16 last week in Munich. Holger Rune stopped him at that stage.
Finally, Thiago Seyboth Wild is also set to compete at the Madrid Open. The Brazilian’s favourite surface is clay. That was shown during his stunning five-set triumph against Daniil Medvedev at last year’s French Open.
Main Photo Credit: Mike Frey – USA TODAY Sports
