The 2023 clay court swing is in full flow. We’ve already seen the completion of one Masters 1000 event in Monte Carlo earlier this month. And over the last seven days, we’ve had three more clay court tournaments completed. In case you missed them, these included the Barcelona Open, Srpska Open, and Munich Open. However, none of these tournaments hold the same status as the upcoming Madrid Open, as this is a 1000 event.
This event will start this week, with the qualifiers already underway. Since it is a 1000-level event, there is obviously plenty of hype surrounding the tournament. And as of the recent release of the draw, we’ve seen that the biggest names on the ATP Tour are heading to Spain in their quest for the title. But while this is very exciting, there’s also been a bit of a dark cloud hovering over the 2023 Madrid Open.
This dark cloud relates to some shock withdrawals from the tournament, which started with Nadal’s withdrawal from the tournament last week. Since then, Nadal has been joined by a selection of other players who have withdrawn from the 2023 Madrid Open. So if you are curious as to who has removed themselves from the tournament, let me show you right now.
Madrid Open 2023 Withdrawals – Biggest Announcements So Far
It’s a crying shame that Rafael Nadal will not be participating in the Madrid Open this year. And for many pundits who follow tennis, this puts even greater concern into whether he will be back to defend his Roland Garros title. I think I speak for all of us when I say that I really hope Nadal will be fit in time for the French Open, but it sure isn’t looking great for the moment. Anyway, as you know, he has withdrawn from the event.
However, several other top names have dropped out of the Madrid Open in recent days, which is what I’ve highlighted below.
Novak Djokovic – Elbow Injury
Novak Djokovic had a bit of a shock loss at the Srpska Open last week. The world number one crashed out to Dusan Lajovic, and I must say, he didn’t look all that comfortable on the court. This followed a surprise loss to Lorenzo Musetti in Monte Carlo too, prompting speculation that Djokovic isn’t 100% right physically. And as you can see here, this speculation would seem justified, as the Serb has now withdrawn from the Madrid Open with an elbow injury.
Jannik Sinner – Sickness
Given that Jannik Sinner is currently number 8 in the world, this is another huge withdrawal announcement that I must share. Sinner did compete in the Barcelona Open last week, but as he was set to play Musetti in the quarter-finals, he withdrew through sickness. Unfortunately, Sinner hasn’t recovered enough from this sickness to play in the Madrid Open, so he is also out.
Matteo Berrettini – Abdominal Injury
Much like Jannik Sinner, Berrettini has been in action in recent weeks. He played in the 2023 Monte Carlo Masters, but withdrew prior to the round of 16 match with Holger Rune. It seems that the Italian just cannot catch a break with injuries right now. And he has been forced to withdraw from Madrid due to the abdominal injury that he picked up in Monte Carlo.
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