He was left without representatives in the third round, his worst balance since 1984. In addition to Nadal’s 11 titles, he has had four other champions and four finalists.
It’s not just the 11 titles of Rafael Nadal, which in Monte Carlo laid the foundations for what was to be the best race ever on clay. It is enough to look at the last edition to find Alexander Davidovich as one of the great protagonists of this Masters 1000, formerly the Monte Carlo Open, when the Spaniards were already setting trends in the Principality. Davidovich, eliminated this year from the start by Karen Khachanovsurprised in 2022 to Novak Djokovic and stood in the final, where he was stopped Stefanos Tsitsipaschampion in 2021 and 2022.
Absent Carlos AlcarazChristmas and Pablo Carreo, none of the four Spaniards who entered the final table made it past the second round. In addition to Davidovich, he left from the start Albert Ramos-Violas (Jan-Lennart Struff), finalist in 2017. Roberto Bautistaa peculiar case in our tennis, since it has always worked better on fast surfaces, var in round of 16 against Alexander Zverev, like James MunarSurpassed by Andrey Rublev.
This is the worst Spanish participation since 1984. Nine years earlier, Manuel Oranteswho lost the 1970 final against Tom Ocherwas made with the title before you Bob Hewitt. Sergi Bruguerawinner in 1991 and 1993, Carlos Moychampion in 1998, and Juan Carlos Ferrero, winner in 2002 and 2003, complete the list of tennis players from our country who lifted the cup. Bruguera was also a finalist in 1994 (Andrey Medvedev), Albert Costa in 1996 (Tomas Muster) y Alex Corretja in 1997 (Marcelo Ros).
It is evident that things could have developed differently with the presence of Alcaraz and Nadal. The Murcian, in any case, has lost the only match played in this tournament. fell past to or in front of Sebastian Corda, recently arrived from Miami with his first Masters 1000. Nadal, who won the last of his titles in 2018, still does not have a comeback date after injuring the psoas in his left leg in the second round of the Australian Open, the January 18. He was expected next week at the Conde de God, but it seems that we will have to wait at least until the Mutua Madrid Open.
waiting for the juniors
With eight tennis players in the top 50 and only one more in the top 100, Spain has lost weight in the ranking. Injured in the right elbow, Carreo, 17, 31 years old, only has one victory in 2023, against Pedro Cachn, in the first round of the Australian Open. Bautista is 34, Ramos 35, and those who come behind do not seem to have much room for progression. Roberto Carballs, 30, won the ATP 250 in Marrakech last week, and rose 33 places in the ranking to 49, but before the tournament he had no ranking to have entered the Monte Carlo draw. From behind, still trying to make a place among the older ones, are Martn Landalucejunior champion of the last US Open and number 1 in the world in the category, and Daniel Rinconwho won it in 2021. Both come from Rafael Nadal’s academy.
Without questioning the weight of tradition, Monte Carlo has lost competitive rank in the long sequence of preparation tournaments for Roland Garros. The consolidation of a tournament like the Mutua Madrid Open, which this year extends its duration in the style of the American Masters 1000, means that some of the main candidates for victory in Paris manage their calendar. Alcaraz, with slight physical discomfort after winning in Indian Wells and reaching the semifinals in Miami, preferred to give himself a truce and arrive fully recovered in Barcelona. As a consequence of different physical problems, Nadal has only played two of the last five editions.
Although the altitude conditions are almost identical to those of Roland Garros, the tournament is still far away on the calendar for the second Grand Slam of the year. He begins a sequence that will continue next week in Barcelona, the following two in Madrid and then in Rome, with a week off before the start of the big clay event on May 28.
None of the four most recent champions in Monte Carlo have prevailed in Paris since. The last to do so was Nadal, in 2018.
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