Author: Sahil Jain
Canadian tennis player Denis Shapovalov has announced his withdrawal from the upcoming Monte-Carlo Masters 2023, joining other tennis stars such as Rafael Nadal, Carlos Alcaraz, Felix Auger-Aliassime, Pablo Carreno Busta and Yoshihito Nishioka, who have also pulled out of the tournament. This leaves the competition with fewer big-name players.
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Shapovalov, who is currently ranked 29th in the world, has only played the non-mandatory Masters 1000 event twice, in 2018 and 2019. However, they didn’t make it past the first round on either occasion. In 2018, he lost to Stefanos Tsitsipas, while Jan-Lennard Struff beat him in 2019. There is speculation that the 23-year-old dropped out due to scheduling preferences, as he has not revealed any injury diagnosis.
Interestingly, Shapovalov’s withdrawal paved the way for three-time Grand Slam champion Andy Murray to enter the main draw of the Monte-Carlo Masters. However, it’s not clear whether the Scot will take part in the tournament, as it wasn’t part of his initial plans.
After his withdrawal, Shapovalov should be in action at the Barcelona Open, which will take place a week after the Monte-Carlo Masters. The Canadian has played the ATP 500 event twice before, reaching the round of 16 in 2019 and the round of 16 in 2021.
The 2023 Monte-Carlo Masters undoubtedly lacks stars, with the absence of top players like Nadal, Alcaraz, Auger-Aliassime and Shapovalov. This was a disappointment for fans who were looking forward to watching their favorite players compete in the prestigious event.
Shapovalov is hoping for a better performance on clay this year, having endured a disappointing start to the 2022 season. He reached the quarter-finals at the Italian Open, beating Rafael Nadal in the process, but failed to progress, losing to Casper Ruud. However, he was eliminated in the first round of the French Open, losing to Holger Rune in two sets.
The Canadian recently had a poor showing at the Sunshine Double, losing his opening match at Indian Wells and managing just one win in Miami. He was eliminated by Ugo Humbert and Taylor Fritz respectively. Shapovalov will be eager to recover and perform at his best in the upcoming clay season.