Several headliners will be conspicuous by their absence from the Monte-Carlo Tennis Masters.
Quebecer Félix Auger-Aliassime, as well as Spaniards Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz have announced that they will not participate in the prestigious tournament which will take place on Monaco clay.
The seventh racket in the world mentioned that he must give his left knee a rest.
“I’ve been feeling pain in my left knee for a few weeks now and decided it was best to take some rest so I could fully recover,” the 22-year-old tennis player wrote on Instagram.
For his part, Nadal withdrew from the Monte-Carlo Tennis Masters on Tuesday, stating that he was still not ready to resume regular activities.
The holder of 22 career Grand Slam titles has been sidelined since sustaining a left hip flexor injury at the Australian Open. The Monte-Carlo Masters will get under way on April 8.
“I won’t be able to participate in one of my favorite tournaments, in Monte Carlo,” Nadal wrote on Twitter. I’m still not able to play to my full potential and I’m continuing to prepare, hoping to return to the game soon.”
Alcaraz, the world’s No. 2 player, said she made the decision to withdraw from the tournament due to “physical discomfort” she felt following her loss in the semi-finals of the Miami Masters last week. The Spaniard was virtually invincible lately; he had not lost a set since February before folding his back in Florida.
“I have post-traumatic arthritis in my left hand and muscle discomfort in my spine, which means I have to take some rest to prepare for the rest of the season,” explained the elderly Spaniard. only 19 years old.
Nadal has won the Monte Carlo tournament 11 times, including a record streak of eight consecutive titles between 2005 and 2012. The 36-year-old veteran usually relies on this event to polish his game ahead of the French Open , which will run from May 28 to June 11.
Nadal has won 14 of his Grand Slam titles on clay in Paris, including last year when he was plagued by chronic pain in his left foot.
In January, “Rafa” suffered a hip flexor tendon injury in a second-round Australian Open loss to American Mackenzie McDonald.