UPDATE 7.20pm: Jannik Sinner has withdrawn and will not play against Auger-Aliassime
ATP Madrid, Jannik Sinner withdraws: he will not play against Auger-Aliassime
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There is no shortage of surprises inATP Madrid 2024. Spain, in the middle of the week, was already left without players: if the elimination of Rafael Nadal against Jiri Lehecka could even be foreseen, it seemed unthinkable that Carlos Alcaraz would surrender in the quarter-finals to the Russian Andrey Rublev, who also scored one of the worst starts to the season of his career. Instead, the world no.8, as if by magic, found himself, making the best possible use of the many mistakes made by the Iberian, still visibly far from his best form.
The scoreboardATP Madrid 2024 therefore it changes radically for Jannik Sinner, at least in the long term. Without Alcaraz, who was defending the title won in 2023, the Italian becomes the favorite, although he expressed doubts about his presence on the field in the quarter-finals against the Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime (“I have to think twice, because the objectives are Rome, Paris, Wimbledon and the Olympicsthe”). With the elimination of his great rival, in any case, it seems unlikely that the South Tyrolean won’t at least try to take advantage of the opportunity, unless his hip problem worsens and calls for more lenient advice.
If they reached the semi-finals, Sinner would face the winner of the match between Daniil Medvedev and the Czech Jiri Lehecka. On paper the Russian, no. 4 in the world, starts with the underdogs, however it is known that he does not like red clay, so it is a match that could prove to be open and even uncertain, considering that Nadal’s avenger is in confidence and is playing very solid tennis. In any case, a Sinner in good shape would start as favorite with both Medvedev and Lehecka. The feeling is that for the Italian the main obstacle is represented by the quarter-finals, for two reasons: the first is that he has never beaten Auger-Aliassime in the two previous matches played (one of which was in Madrid in 2022), while secondly the Canadian has not only rediscovered the continuity of performance he had lost, but will also face the challenge with the immeasurable ‘hunger’ of those who want to definitively redeem themselves and return to the greats.
For sure, at this point in the tournament, we can already say that a finalist of the ATP Madrid will be a surprise. In fact, Rublev is waiting for one of the Argentinian Facundo Cerundolo or the American Tylor Fritz: for all the tennis players in question, if it isn’t the opportunity of a lifetime, we’re close. Alcaraz’s premature exit therefore offers them an unexpected chance. It should be underlined that today’s defeat costs the Spaniard dearly in terms of points: not only will he end the week with at least 1515 points behind Sinner, but he could also be overtaken in the rankings by Medvedev, if the Russian reaches the semi-final.
