The upgraded Rome Masters has 96 draws, with 32 seeded players having first-round byes. Seeded players need to play six rounds to win the title, while unseeded players need to play seven rounds to win the title.
Sinner's ban expired and he said a few days ago that he did not expect too much from the Madrid tournament, in order to test the waters. Davidovich and Serundolo could become strong opponents.
Ruud, who returned to the top 10 this week, entered as the No. 6 seed. Ruud, who has just won the title in Madrid, could face Berrettini in the third round.
Among the seeded players in the 2/4 zone, 16th seed Rublev has the strongest strength on clay. Both of his ATP1000 Masters titles have come on clay, with him winning the Madrid Masters last year and Monte Carlo in 2023.
However, from the second round onwards, he was about to get caught up in a scuffle with the post-05 players. In the second round, Fonseca may be met again. It was the Brazilian teenager who defeated Rublev in the first round of this year's Australian Open. If Rublev can get past Fonseca, he may meet another post-05 player Mensik in the third round. Hopefully, Rublev will be able to get out of the slump in Rome.
No. 5 seed Draper, No. 9 seed Rune and No. 14 seed Dimitrov compete with Alcaraz in this district. Draper reached the final in Madrid last week and this week's tournament will be a huge test of his fitness.
No.3 seed Alcaraz is likely to face Yoshihito Nishioka, Jerre/Echeverry in the first two rounds. Or meet Dimitrov in the fourth round.
China's Buyun Chokert faced Italy's Dardry in the first round. The two met for the first time.
No.2 seed and defending champion Zverev leads the quarters. In this zone, No. 8 seed Musetti, No. 10 seed Medvedev, No. 13 seed Phils and No. 18 seed Tsitsipas could all be potential opponents.
No.8 seed Musetti reached the semi-finals of last week's Madrid Masters. He's in great form at the moment, and this week's game will test his endurance.
There is a hunch that it will be difficult for Zverev to defend his title. There is a high probability that the Rome Masters will have a new champion.
[Come and see me] [Flicking fists] [Zuoyi] [Laughs]