Tennis: Félix Auger-Aliassime ignores Monte-Carlo

and Agence France-Presse MISE À DAY

Quebecer Félix Auger-Aliassime announced on Tuesday that he would not take part in the clay-court tournament in Monte-Carlo, which will begin shortly.

“FAA” quote left knee pain, in an Instagram post, to justify his withdrawal.

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• Also read: Tennis: Auger-Aliassime loses a place, Djokovic back at the top< /li>

See this post on Instagram

A post shared by Félix Auger-Aliassime (@felixaliassime)

“Unfortunately I will have to withdraw from @rolexmontecarlomasters this year. It's still a tournament I love to play and look forward to every year, but I've had pain in my left knee for a few weeks now and decided it was best for me to take a little time to be in top shape for my next tournament at @mutuamadridopen, he wrote. Thank you for your messages and your support. See you on the courts very soon.”

Holder of the seventh rank in the world, Auger-Aliassime was recently defeated in the third round of the Miami tournament by the Argentinian Francisco Cerundolo. 

Alcaraz and Nadal also forfeit

Carlos Alcaraz, the Spanish sensation of world tennis, announced on Tuesday that he would not play the Monte-Carlo tournament, renouncing like Rafael Nadal to the kick sending off the European clay court season.

“After consulting my doctor, Dr. Lopez Martinez, in Murcia today (Tuesday), I will not be able to go to Monte Carlo to start the clay-court season,” writes the world No.2. Alcaraz, who will turn 20 on May 5, said on his Twitter account that he suffers from post-traumatic arthritis in his left hand and muscle discomfort in his back “which require rest to prepare for everything that is yet to come. come”.

For his part, Nadal announced on Twitter that he is insufficiently recovered from the injury to his left leg which has kept him off the courts for two and a half months. 

The Spanish player's package for the first big tournament of the European season on clay casts doubt on his presence at the French Open, at Roland-Garros (May 28-June 11), which he won 14 times, the last one last year.< /p>

“I am not yet ready to compete at the highest level, I will not be able to play in one of the most important tournaments of my career, Monte-Carlo”, writes the former world No.1, who fell to 14th rank in the ATP rankings.

Nadal, 36, has not played competitively since his loss in the second round of the Australian Open on January 18 against the American Mackenzie McDonald in three sets.

He had felt a sharp pain in the second set but went to the end of the match when he had the greatest difficulty in moving.

Nadal had then estimated between six and eight weeks the duration of his unavailability, drawing a line under the American Masters 1000 tournaments in Indian Wells and Miami.

He will not be able to defend his chances at the Masters 1000 either. de Monte-Carlo, which he has won 11 times.

“I am not yet able to play with the maximum guarantees and I continue my preparation hoping to return soon”, adds Nadal, who co-holders with Novak Djokovic the record for titles in Grand Slam tournaments (22).

The Spaniard has been accumulating physical problems since his 14th coronation at Roland-Garros in the spring of 2022, where he had triumphed despite a left foot anesthetized to contain the pain caused by the chronic illness from which he has suffered since the age of 18 (Müller-Weiss syndrome).

In particular, an abdominal tear forced him to give up playing his semi-final at Wimbledon a month later.

His long absence from the courts knocked him out of the Top 10 of the world rankings on March 20 for the first time since April 2005.