According to TSN on Tuesday, Canadian tennis player Felix Auger-Aliassime of Montreal, Quebec will miss the 2023 Monte Carlo Masters because of a knee injury. He follows Rafael Nadal of Spain (hip) and Carlos Alcaraz of Spain (overall physical discomfort), who announced their withdrawals from the Monte Carlo Masters earlier in the week.
Auger-Aliassime has only won one match in Monte Carlo in his career. That came in 2019 when he defeated qualifier Juan Ignacio Londero of Argentina, 7-5, 7-6 in the first round.
This will be the 116th edition of the Monte Carlo Masters. The men’s only event actually takes place in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, a commune of France, located extremely close to Monaco.
The Monte Carlo Masters also is the start of the clay-court season. It will be followed by the Barcelona Open, Madrid Open, Italian Open and the French Open, over the next two months.
Auger-Aliassime will be replaced in the draw by Mackenzie McDonald of the United States. Interestingly, McDonald beat Nadal 6-4, 6-4, 7-5 in the second round of the Australian Open.
In addition to Nadal, Alcaraz, and Auger-Aliassime, other players who have decided to withdraw are 2017 and 2020 United States Open semifinalist Pablo Carreno Busta of Spain, 2008 French Open semifinalist and 2016 United States Open semifinalist Gael Monfils of France (wrist), Yoshihito Nishioka of Japan, and Denis Shapovalov of Canada. In addition to McDonald, the replacements are three-time grand slam champion Andy Murray of Great Britain, Nicolas Jarry of Chile, Laslo Dere of Serbia, Jack Draper of Great Britain, Marc-Andre Husler of Switzerland, and Albert Ramos Vinolas of Spain. Murray’s grand slam wins came at the 2012 United States Open, and 2013 and 2016 Wimbledon.
