Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz have both pulled out of Monte-Carlo Masters.
Nadal has been sidelined since Australian Open in January following R2 loss to Mackenzie McDonald. The Spaniard confirmed that he had sustained a grade two tear to his iliopsoas muscle and hence withdrawing from Melbourne; he was expected to return to action after 6 to 8 weeks.
However, things didn’t go as expected and now after a lengthened injury break of 12 weeks, the 22 Grand Slam champion is forced to miss the Monte-Carlo where he has an incredible record of winning 71 of his 76 matches.
A disappointed Nadal took to social media to announce the unfortunate decision:
“Hi everyone, unfortunately, I am still not ready to compete and will miss one of those special tournaments I always love to play.”
“Monte Carlo is and has been a key event in my career, but unfortunately, I will have to miss it again since I am still not ready to compete without the risk of getting injured. I will continue the process of getting ready to come back.”
Nadal at Monte-Carlo Masters
Nadal holds an unbelievable record at Monte Carlo Masters with 71-5 win-loss record at the tournament. His only losses came against Guillermo Coria in 2003, archrival Novak Djokovic in 2013 and 2015, countryman David Ferrer in 2014 and Italian Fabio Fognini in 2019. His utter dominance in Monaco has won him 11 titles, by far the biggest than anyone have at the first clay Masters 1000 of the tour. Nadal also owns the longest winning streak at the tournament with 46 straight wins he registered between 2005 and 2012.
Carlos Alcaraz Withdrawal
Alcaraz will also sit out of the event after getting injured in Floridian Masters. Alcaraz lost the Miami semifinal against a sensational Jannik Sinner in a tough fought battle and like confirmed his hampered run on social media.
“After two months abroad, I am happy to return home but sad because I finished my last match in Miami with physical discomfort. After visiting my doctor @drlopezmartinez in Murcia today and being evaluated, I will not be able to go to Monte Carlo to start the clay court tour,” said Alcaraz.
He continued, “I have post-traumatic arthritis in my left hand and muscular discomfort in the spine that needs rest to prepare for everything that is to come. See you in 2024 @ROLEXMCMASTERS!”
The world no. 2 made his maiden appearance at the tourney last year where he lost to Sebastian Korda 6(2)-7, 7-6(5), 3-6.
Meanwhile, Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime has also announced his withdrawal from the event as a top 10 player because of an injured left knee.