The Italian, still just 23 himself, came back from a set down on four occasions—three of which were 6-1 deficits—to reach his first 1000-level final at the Monte Carlo Country Club. His countryman, world No. 1 Jannik Sinner, wasn’t in the draw: He’s currently training in Monaco at the tail end of a three-month suspension, part of the three-time major winner’s agreement with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) for his March 2024 positive tests for the banned substance clostebol. Sinner’s ban will be lifted on May 4, in time to compete on home soil in Rome.
“We don’t have Jannik for the first couple of tournaments, so that opens it up a little bit as well. It’s a very interesting draw,” says Rune.
Sinner isn’t the only notable name missing in Madrid. The ‘anybody’s game’ outlook cannot be recognized without acknowledging the absence of the man who monopolized the spring throughout his career. For the first time officially in two decades, Rafael Nadal isn’t part of the conversation after hanging up his racquet last November at the Davis Cup Finals in Malaga.
“Rafa is not there on clay, so it’s for sure more open than it was before. Guys were like, ‘Who’s making the final?’” laughs Daniil Medvedev.
“It helps that Nadal doesn’t play anymore, that’s for sure. It was closed because we had a specimen of a player on this surface,” adds Auger-Aliassime.
