Dominic Thiem is still struggling with his body and he will not be back to competition in Monte Carlo, leaving Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Stefanos Tsitsipas as the top favorites to win the prestigious ATP1000. The tournament will be staged from the 12th of April without fans and the defending champion is Fabio Fognini.
After losing in the opening match in Dubai, Dominic admitted that he was struggling. Indeed, the world no.4 had some issues with his foot, but apparently that was not all.
Dominic is a clay-court specialist and it is quite surprising to learn that he decided to skip Monte Carlo. This was the statement released on his official website:
Starting into the clay-court-season has been rescheduled – Dominic Thiem will not participate in the Monte Carlo classic this year! “After Doha and Dubai I needed a break”, explains the 27-year-old, “I‘m not at 100% yet. I‘m so sorry, I would have loved to play in Monte Carlo, but it won‘t work out.” During the tournament Dominic will be practicing on clay in Austria. “I‘m having tough weeks ahead of me, I have a lot of work to do.”
Curiously, Dominic has not a great record in Monte Carlo (6-6 the win-loss) and his best record was reaching the quarters in 2018.
The entry list
With Thiem out, Djokovic, Nadal and Tsitsipas will be the favorites to win the competitions. The world no.2 Daniil Medvedev is not a clay-court specialist even if he is always dangerous.
| Seed | Name | Ranking |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Novak Djokovic | 1 |
| 2 | Daniil Medvedev | 2 |
| 3 | Rafael Nadal | 3 |
| 4 | Stefanos Tsitsipas | 5 |
| 5 | Alexander Zverev | 7 |
| 6 | Andrey Rublev | 8 |
| 7 | Diego Schwartzman | 9 |
| 8 | Matteo Berrettini | 10 |
| 9 | Roberto Bautista Agut | 12 |
| 10 | David Goffin | 13 |
| 11 | Gael Monfils | 14 |
| 12 | Pablo Carreno Busta | 15 |
| 13 | Grigor Dimitrov | 16 |
| 14 | Fabio Fognini | 17 |
| 15 | Felix Auger-Aliassime | 18 |
| 16 | Cristian Garin | 20 |
| Karen Khachanov | 22 | |
| Alex de Minaur | 23 | |
| Casper Ruud | 25 | |
| Dusan Lajovic | 26 | |
| Aslan Karatsev | 27 | |
| Daniel Evans | 29 | |
| Ugo Humbert | 30 | |
| Jannik Sinner | 31 | |
| Taylor Fritz | 32 | |
| Benoit Paire | 33 | |
| Lorenzo Sonego | 34 | |
| Filip Krajinovic | 35 | |
| Adrian Mannarino | 36 | |
| Hubert Hurkacz | 37 | |
| Nikoloz Basilashvili | 38 | |
| Kei Nishikori | 39 | |
| Marton Fucsovics | 40 | |
| Reilly Opelka | 41 | |
| Jan-Lennard Struff | 42 | |
| John Millman | 43 | |
| Alexander Bublik | 44 | |
| Marin Cilic | 45 | |
| Miomir Kecmanovic | 46 | |
| Albert Ramos-Vinolas | 47 | |
| Guido Pella | 48 | |
| Richard Gasquet | 50 | |
| Nick Kyrgios | 51 | |
| Tommy Paul | 53 | |
| Alejandro Davidovich Fokina | 55 |
Dominic Thiem in 2021
Ranked world no.4, Dominic played his last match on the 16th of March when he lost to world no.52 Harris Lloyd 6-3 6-4 in the 2nd round in Dubai (draw).
This year the Austrian has a compiled 5-4 match record.
Rafael Nadal in 2021
At the moment ranked no.3, the Spaniard played his last match on the 17th of February when he lost to world no.5 Stefanos Tsitsipas 3-6 2-6 7-6(4) 6-4 7-5 in the quarter of the Australian Open (draw).
This season the Spaniard achieved an overall 4-1 match record.
Dominic Thiem and Rafael Nadal squared off 15 times. Their actual record is 9-6 for Nadal. Previously, the last time they locked horns, Dominic Thiem won 7-6(7) 7-6(4) in the round robin in London (Nitto ATP Finals) in November 2020.
Here the video highlights.
Novak Djokovic in 2021
Ranked no.1, Novak played his last match on the 21st of February when he defeated world no.2 Daniil Medvedev 7-5 6-2 6-2 in the final of the Australian Open to win his 82nd career title.
This season Novak has a 9-0 record. The Serbian has won 1 title at the Australian Open.
Tsitsipas in Miami, ranking, and results in 2021
Now ranked no.5 (career-high), Tsitsipas has managed to achieve a composed 17-4 record in 2021. Stefanos is now playing in Miami where he toppled Damir Dzumhur 6-1 6-4, Kei Nishikori 6-3 3-6 6-1 and Lorenzo Sonego 6-2 7-62.
Stefanos Tsitsipas will take on the world no.37 Hubert Hurkacz in the quarter on Thursday at 1:00 pm on Grandstand. Their current head to head is 6-1 for Tsitsipas.
Tsitsipas was the finalist in Acapulco (Abierto Mexicano Telcel).
Stefanos won 5 titles in his career: 1 on clay courts and 4 on indoor courts. (See the list of his titles)
Novak Djokovic and Stefanos Tsitsipas played each other 6 times. The head to head is 4-2 for Djokovic. The last time they locked horns, Novak Djokovic won 6-3 6-2 5-7 4-6 6-1 in the semifinal in Paris (French Open) in October 2020.
In the following video you can watch the key moments of their match.
