After the glee of potentially seeing Nadal back in action, fans—this SBOTOP writer included—are left with heavy hearts after the tennis icon announces his withdrawal from the Monte-Carlo Masters.
Nadal’s status for the Monte-Carlo Masters was never certain, as the 37-year-old continues to deal with a lingering injury that forced him to be absent from competition since January, but that didn’t stop fans from hoping to see their idol grace the clay-court tournament in France.
“My body simply won’t allow me,” Nadal painfully stated. “You have no idea how hard this is for me to not be able to play these events,” he wrote. “The only thing I can do is to accept the situation and try to look at the immediate future keeping the excitement and will to play in order to give me a chance for things to get better.”
Nadal has won the Monte-Carlo Masters a record 11 times, winning his last in 2018 against Kei Nishikori 6-1, 6-3. Unfortunately, he won’t be able to add to his glory in Monte Carlo this time around.
Due to his age and a myriad of injuries, the tennis world is holding its breath and hoping that one of the most decorated players in tennis history can finish his career on his own terms.
Vamos Rafa!
Djokovic keen on bagging his first trophy of the season
It’s an unfamiliar sight, but the World No. 1 is still without a win in 2024 but is keen on delivering winning Monte-Carlo 2024 results once it’s all said and done.
After skipping the Middle East swing, the Joker returned to action in the Indian Wells Open but was left stunned and left the tournament with his head down after losing to Luca Nardi in the third round before again withdrawing from the Miami Open.
“I am going into the tournament with enthusiasm and excitement that I am here. I didn’t play in Miami, so I had extra time to practice on clay and get my body and game adjusted to this surface, so let’s see how it goes,” Djokovic exclaimed.
He has not won the Monte-Carlo Masters since 2015, almost a decade ago, but the 24-time Grand Slam winner is confident that he’ll bounce back in this iteration of the tournament, especially because of his comfort and familiarity with the court.
“I always love playing in Monte-Carlo. It has been a residence of mine for many years. Both of my children were born in Monte-Carlo, so I consider it a home and a place where I spend countless hours of training in this club.”
Alcaraz’s road to redemption
Longtime World No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz slips down to third after Sinner’s meteoric rise this season. Alcaraz now trails Jannik Sinner by 65 points in the ATP rankings, but a strong performance at the Monte-Carlo Masters could bring things back to regular programming.
Alcaraz has had a rollercoaster start to his campaign; from an early exit at the Australian Open to his triumphant title defence in the Indian Wells, the Spaniard has seen it all in this young 2024 season.
His resurgence in California served the 20-year-old a great morale boost, clinching a much-needed win for him to get his form back. Despite his descent in the ATP rankings, Alcaraz is still one of the Monte-Carlo 2024 odds favourites to win at Roquebrune-Cap-Martin.
“I’m glad to find my tennis again in the last two tournaments. All my life, I’ve played on clay courts, so I know better how to play on the surface. In the last two tournaments, I recovered my joy and my game, and I’m glad to be able to show that level on clay again,” Alcaraz stated.
Can Sinner transfer his hardcourt dominance to clay?
The 22-year-old Italian has taken the tennis world by storm. He has arguably had the best 2024 season among the top ATP players thus far, winning his first Grand Slam title at the Austrian Open and also lifting hardware in Rotterdam and Miami.
Due to his meteoric rise, Sinner has steadily climbed the ATP rankings and surpassed his rival, Carlos Alcaraz, as World No. 2.
If Sinner manages to keep his form to such high standards, he could pose a convincing threat to Novak Djokovic’s top spot.
Now, the tennis world can only wait and see if the Italian phenom can transition well on clay at Roquebrune-Cap-Martin.
“It is going to be very interesting to see how players deal with the situation to go from hard to clay. It is important to practice in a certain way. The first week is very tough, you usually have strange results. It is going to be interesting to see,” Sinner said in his pre-tournament press conference. “The hard-court swing was really, really good for me, now we see what I can do on clay. Last year I played well here and then after I didn’t play well, so let’s see.”
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