David Massey, the new director of the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters, has announced that the best 20 players of the ATP-ranking will participate at this year’s tennis tournament, that will take place in Monaco from April 8.

Rafael Nadal, still ranked ninth, is expected to make his comeback from injury at this event, which he has already won eleven times.

“Rafa was even the first to confirm to us his participation at this year’s event,” Massey told Monaco Matin.

Last year he withdrew in the final days before the start of the tournament and was replaced by Frenchman Benoît Paire.

Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Casper Ruud are likely to be the highest ranked players for this event. Last year the Greek Tsitsipas (and a Monaco resident) won the tournament, which opens a series of clay tournaments in Europe, building up to ‘Roland Garros’ in Paris.

PHOTO – ATP Masters 1000 – Italian Open – Foro Italico, Rome, Italy – May 13, 2021 Spain’s Rafael Nadal celebrates winning his third round match against Canada’s Denis Shapovalov REUTERS/Guglielmo Mangiapane

NEWS.MC welcomes Jurriaan van Wessem (62), a Dutch journalist who has been living in Monaco for 28 years. He studied at Leiden University and graduated in Social and Economic History and became a correspondent for daily papers (NRC Handelsblad, De Volkskrant, Gazzetta dello Sport), magazines and Dutch national radio. In 1989 he started working for Eurosport-TV as a commentator, covering several World Cups (football) and Olympic Games. He has published several books in Dutch, also about Monaco (De Metamorfose van Monaco (2005)). He is working as a correspondent in Southern Europe and is very pleased to work for NEWS.MC