The Italian Open is upon us. Headlining this combined ATP and WTA 1000-level event is the return of World No. 1 Jannik Sinner from his three-month suspension. Sinner will be looking to get his clay court game into shape quickly before heading to Roland Garros in a couple of weeks.
In addition, there have been noteworthy withdrawals of fan favorites and interesting wildcards of players to watch in Rome over the next two weeks.
Italian Open Withdrawals
As previously reported, Novak Djokovic withdrew from the Italian Open. Though the Serbian player has struggled this year, it was a surprise that he would not play in Rome. He has never missed this event in his legendary career.
Joining Djokovic are two 30-something fan-favorites dealing with injuries. Gael Monfils, 38, retired from his Mutua Madrid Open match. The Frenchman is hopefully taking a timeout in Rome so he is ready for his home tournament in Paris later in the month.
Kei Nishikori, the Japanese veteran who recently recorded his 450th ATP win, has also withdrawn. Nishikori, 35, has struggled to stay healthy in recent years. Given his many injuries, he is a poster child for perseverance.
Italian Open Wildcards
Italian tennis players received the lion’s share of wildcards. 37-year-old Fabio Fognini and Luca Nardi are joined by Federico Cina, Matteo Gigante, and Francesco Passaro.
On the women’s side, Sara Errani received a wildcard for singles, but of course, she will also be playing doubles with Jasmine Paolini. They are the defending Italian Open doubles champions.
Presenting the 2024 Girls’ Doubles champions ✨
American duo Tyra Caterina Grant and Iva Jovic defeat Great Britain’s Mingge Xu and Mika Stojsavljevic 7-5, 4-6 [10-8] 🇺🇸#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/OlN8EPv50N
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 14, 2024
Another wildcard to watch is 17-year-old Tyra Caterina Grant, an emerging young talent, winner of the Australian Open, French Open, and Wimbledon junior doubles titles in a 15-month time span.
The Italian Open officially begins on May 6. Alexander Zverev and Iga Swiatek are the defending champions. Both Zverev and Swiatek have struggled this season, so it will be interesting to watch as they attempt to defend their titles.
