5 players who will miss the 2022 Monte-Carlo Masters, featuring Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Daniil Medvedev
We are a few days away from the start of the Monte-Carlo Masters, where many top players like Novak Djokovic and Alexander Zverev will be competing. However, Rafael Nadal, Daniil Medvedev and Roger Federer will miss the event.
World No. 1 Novak Djokovic will be taking part in his second competition of 2022. The Serb won in Monte-Carlo twice, in 2013 and 2015, and will be keen on triumphing for a third time. With Rafael Nadal not competing, he will fancy his chances of winning the title.
However, the likes of Casper Ruud, Alexander Zverev, defending champion Stefanos Tsitsipas and Carlos Alcaraz are capable of challenging for the title as well.
The field may appear strong on paper, but there are a number of top players who will not take part in the Monte-Carlo Masters, either due to injury or illness. Here's a look at five top players who will miss the 2022 edition of the Masters 1000 event.
#1 Matteo Berrettini
The World No. 6 recently announced his withdrawal from not only the Monte-Carlo Masters but also the Masters 1000 tournaments in Madrid and Rome. The decision comes just a few days after he underwent surgery on his right hand.
The Italian has won nine out of 15 matches in 2022 with his only notable achievement being reaching the semifinals of the Australian Open.
Berrettini will look to recover in time to compete at Roland Garros.
#2 Dominic Thiem
Dominic Thiem will also miss the first claycourt Masters 1000 event of the season. The Austrian initially withdrew from the Australian hardcourt season and was set to return at the Cordoba Open. However, he pulled out of the tournament with the hope of returning for the Indian Wells and Miami Masters.
After withdrawing from both competitions, it looked like Thiem would return to action in Monte-Carlo. However, he suffered a setback by testing positive for COVID-19. The 2020 US Open champions did recover from the illness but will return to Austria for a medical checkup.
Fans will hope to see Thiem back in action later this month. His last appearance on the ATP tour was at the Mallorca Open more than nine months ago in June.
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#3 Daniil Medvedev
The current World No. 2 reached the top of the ATP rankings after Novak Djokovic was eliminated in the quarterfinals of the Dubai Tennis Championships. However, he was dethroned by the Serb following his third-round exit at the Indian Wells Masters.
Medvedev then competed in the Miami Masters as the top seed and reached the quarterfinals, failing to reclaim the No. 1 ranking.
Shortly after his defeat, Medvedev said that he was playing with a hernia and would be out for 1-2 months in order to fully recover from surgery. Thus, he will miss the Monte-Carlo Masters and probably the entire clay season.
Hi everyone. The last months I have been playing with a small hernia. Together with my team I have decided to have a small procedure done to fix the problem. I will likely be out for the next 1 - 2 months and will work hard to be back on court soon. Thanks for all the support.
#4 Roger Federer
Federer's last appearance at the Monte-Carlo Masters came back in 2016 when he reached the quarterfinals of the tournament before losing to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. The Swiss has not competed in Monte-Carlo since and will not feature this year as well.
Federer last played a professional match at Wimbledon, where he reached the quarterfinals. The 40-year-old underwent knee surgery and ended his 2021 season prematurely.
Federer's absence from the tour has seen his ranking drop to 43.
#5 Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal is the biggest miss of this year's Monte-Carlo Masters, where he is a 11-time champion.
The Spaniard's sensational start to the season was halted by a rib injury. He won three titles at the start of the season, including the Australian Open, before losing to Taylor Fritz in the final of the Indian Wells Masters.
Nadal suffered a rib stress fracture during the tournament and will be out of action for four to six weeks. The Spaniard will thus miss the Monte-Carlo Masters and probably the Barcelona Open. He will be hoping to recover in time for the Madrid Open.