By Tony Fairbairn
- Jannik Sinner returns to tour after three month absence as Alexander Zverev prepares to defend title.
- Top Seeds: Jannik Sinner, Alexander Zverev, Carlos Alcaraz, Taylor Fritz
ROME, ITALY – Jannik Sinner returns to the tour after his three month absence in front of his home fans in Rome with Alexander Zverev entering the tournament as defending champion.
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[1] Jannik Sinner
Best Result: Quarter-Final (2022)
After being suspended for three months, Sinner is ready to show why he is the world’s best player in front of his home fans in Rome.
Sinner’s Path to the Final (Ranking/Seeding)
- R1: BYE | H2H: N/A
- R2: Mariano Navone | H2H: First Meeting
- R3: Alejandro Davidovich Fokina [25] | H2H: Sinner leads 1-0
- R4: Frances Tiafoe [15] | H2H: Sinner leads 4-1
- QF: Casper Ruud [6] | H2H: Sinner leads 3-0
- SF: Taylor Fritz [4] | H2H: Sinner leads 4-1
- F: Alexander Zverev [2] | H2H: Zverev leads 4-3
The Italian’s first match back could be against Mariano Navone with the Argentinian taking on 17 year-old Federico Cina in the opening round. A brutal third round against Alejandro Davidovich Fokina will test Sinner’s clay court credentials with the Spaniard having a string of good results over this clay court season. The likes of last year’s finalist Nicolas Jarry or Francisco Cerundolo could be tricky for Sinner in the fourth round before taking on Madrid champion Casper Ruud in the quarter-finals. This will be a testing tournament for Sinner but will put the Italian in good shape ahead of Roland Garros and if he can show the type of tennis that saw him dominate earlier on in the season then he should reach the latter stages in Rome.
[2] Alexander Zverev
Best Result: Champion (2017, 2024)
Although there have been promising signs, Zverev is still yet to find his best tennis and will need to do so fast if he wants to defend his Rome title.
Zverev’s Path to the Final (Ranking/Seeding)
- R1: BYE | H2H: N/A
- R2: Camilo Ugo Carabelli | H2H: First Meeting
- R3: Denis Shapovalov [27] | H2H: Zverev leads 6-3
- R4: Arthur Fils [13] | H2H: Zverev leads 3-2
- QF: Lorenzo Musetti [8] | H2H: Musetti leads 2-1
- SF: Carlos Alcaraz [3] | H2H: Zverev leads 6-5
- F: Jannik Sinner [1] | H2H: Zverev leads 4-3
The first couple of round should be manageable for Zverev even if Denis Shapovalov has been playing some good tennis recently. In the fourth round the German is set to renew his rivalry with either Arthur Fils or Stefanos Tsitsipas before a blockbuster quarter-final against Lorenzo Musetti is set. This will be a tough tournament for Zverev as things stand with the German unlikely to reach the semi-finals but if the defending champion can gain some confidence as the week progresses than he has the game to defeat anyone on clay.
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[3] Carlos Alcaraz
Best Result: R2 (2023)
After injury spoiled his Madrid homecoming, Alcaraz now aims to continue his successful clay court season in Rome.
Alcaraz’s Path to the Final (Ranking/Seeding)
- R1: BYE | H2H: N/A
- R2: Yoshihito Nishioka | H2H: Alcaraz leads 2-0
- R3: Alex Michelsen [31] | H2H: First Meeting
- R4: Grigor Dimitrov [14] | H2H: Alcaraz leads 4-2
- QF: Jack Draper [5] | H2H: Alcaraz leads 3-2
- SF: Alexander Zverev [2] | H2H: Zverev leads 6-5
- F: Jannik Sinner [1] | H2H: Alcaraz leads 6-4
It’s a nice and easy start for Alcaraz to the tournament as there are not expected to be too many testing moments in the opening couple of rounds. In the last 16 Alcaraz will face a stern test against either Grigor Dimitrov or Karen Khachanov with Madrid finalist Jack Draper awaiting in the quarter-final. The Spaniard is hoping he can continue his good form from the clay court season as the Spaniard will be the favourite to win his first Rome title despite his poor form previously.
[4] Taylor Fritz
Best Result: Quarter-Final (2024)
Despite losing to the eventual champion, it was another rough loss for Fritz in Madrid as he aims to pick up his form in Rome.
Fritz’s Path to the Final (Ranking/Seeding)
- R1: BYE | H2H: N/A
- R2: Marcos Giron | H2H: Fritz leads 4-1
- R3: Hubert Hurkacz [30] | H2H: Fritz leads 4-1
- R4: Andrey Rublev [16] | H2H: Fritz leads 5-4
- QF: Alex De Minaur [7] | H2H: Tied at 5-5
- SF: Jannik Sinner [1] | H2H: Sinner leads 4-1
- F: Alexander Zverev [2] | H2H: Fritz leads 7-5
It’s a tough draw for Fritz who will need to negotiate his way past Marcos Giron and Hubert Hurkacz in the opening couple of rounds. The American has a doable draw after that but the American’s current form and confidence seems to suggest that matches against Andrey Rublev and Alex De Minaur could prove quite tough. This is an important stretch of the season for Fritz who has a lot of ranking points to defend in the second half of the season.
Rome begins on the seventh of May and finishes on the 18th of May.
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