The Monte Carlo Masters has kicked off, marking the first major stop on the European clay circuit.
And a number of high-profile names are notably absent from the entry list.
Top-10 players Novak Djokovic and Taylor Fritz are among those who have pulled out of the Masters 1000 event in recent days, while the likes of Ben Shelton and Tommy Paul opted against entering altogether.
Djokovic’s absence means he has competed in just two tournaments this year – the Australian Open and Indian Wells. This marks the first time the Serbian powerhouse has bypassed the Monte Carlo Masters since 2011. Last year, he was eliminated in his opening match by Alejandro Tabilo.
From a British standpoint, Jack Draper has also withdrawn from the tournament. This appears to be a precautionary measure, however, as the world No. 25 continues his recovery from an arm injury. Draper has spent the week honing his game and building his fitness ahead of the coming months.
Seven of the nine Masters 1000 tournaments on the ATP Tour calendar now run for 12 days and feature expanded draws. Monte Carlo remains one of the two one-week tournaments, alongside the Paris Masters, with a 56-player singles draw.
The top 16 players are seeded, with the top eight seeds receiving byes directly into round two. The draw took place last Friday, but several marquee names were conspicuous by their absence. Express U.S. Sports examines the players who have chosen to sit out the Monte Carlo Masters…
Novak Djokovic, world No. 4
Taylor Fritz, world No. 8
Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, world No. 17
Jack Draper, world No. 25
Arthur Fils, world No. 28
Jaume Munar, world No. 37
Sebastian Korda, world No. 42
Ben Shelton, world No. 9
Tommy Paul, world No. 21
Leaner Tien, world No. 22
Holger Rune, world No. 29
Brandon Nakashima, world No. 33
Alex Michelsen, world No. 35
Jenson Brooksby, world No. 41
The Monte Carlo Masters stands as the only Masters 1000 tournament that is not classified as “mandatory” on the ATP Tour.
This means players face no penalties for withdrawing from the event. As a result, it is commonplace for American stars to bypass the tournament in favour of additional rest, or to compete on green clay stateside, before heading to Europe for the remainder of the clay season.
The clay-court schedule also features two mandatory, two-week Masters 1000 events in Madrid and Rome, which are held back-to-back shortly before the French Open.
Holger Rune is the sole non-American player who chose not to enter the Monte Carlo Masters despite his ranking, making him eligible.
A former finalist in Monaco, Rune continues to recuperate from an Achilles injury that has kept him off the court since October.
Meanwhile, world No. 8 Fritz has been managing a knee injury throughout this season. Ahead of the recent Sunshine Double in Indian Wells and Miami, he acknowledged he would need to reassess his situation at the end of that stretch.
“If there was a portion of the season that I think I’d be more okay missing, it would be the clay-court season, like I did last year,” he said ahead of the Miami Open.
He has since withdrawn from Monte Carlo, and it remains to be seen whether he will compete in the remaining clay-court events.
Korda, meanwhile, played through a back injury at the recent Miami Open, where he stunned Carlos Alcaraz before bowing out in the last 16.
Spanish player Jaume Munar remains sidelined following an arm injury and has not taken to the court since the Rotterdam Open in February. His compatriot, Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, is expected to slip out of the top 20 after pulling out of Monte Carlo, where he reached the semi-finals last year.
Meanwhile, last year’s quarter-finalist Arthur Fils has also withdrawn in a bid to manage his schedule as he continues his recovery from a back injury, having recently advanced to the Miami semifinals.
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