Rome Italy) – Scheduled to start next Wednesday, May 8, the Masters 1000 in Rome gained a major boost in the main draw. Currently only in 87th place in the rankings, Swiss Stan Wawrinka inherited his place from Argentine Facundo Diaz Acosta, suffering from a shoulder injury, and will compete in the tournament for the 19th time in his career.
Runner-up in 2008 in the Italian capital, the former world number 3 also reached the semi-finals in 2015. Since then, he has never gone beyond the round of 16, having fallen in the second round last season. In 2024, the 39-year-old Swiss has just two wins and seven defeats. Both triumphs came in level 250 events.
Another player who benefited from the withdrawal of a colleague is North American Mackenzie McDonald, currently 76th in the world, replacing Frenchman Arthur Cazaux, who suffered a serious sprained ankle in Barcelona. However, the 29-year-old tennis player’s participation is still unknown, as he has been facing physical and health problems since the start of the season. So far, he has only played three games, all in January.
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McDonald was coming off a good season in 2023, in which he made semis in Delray Beach and Eastbourne, in addition to reaching the quarterfinals at the Masters 1000 in Toronto, reaching the best ranking of his career in October with 37th position. If he is not fit to play, the next on the list of alternates is Australian Rinky Hijikata, 79th in the ATP.
Brazilians guaranteed in Rome
In the main draw, Brazilian men’s tennis will feature at least Thiago Wild, from Paraná, who achieved a direct place in the rankings. In addition to him, the country will have two representatives in the qualifiers, with the participation of Thiago Monteiro from Ceará, who is having an excellent campaign until the third round in Madrid, and Felipe Meligeni Alves from São Paulo, who is competing this week against the strong challenger of Aix-en- Provence, France.
