Men’s tennis is rapidly moving on to back-to-back ATP 500 events this week, taking place in Dallas and Rotterdam.
They arrive shortly after the Australian Open, which means that several high-profile ATP players are not in action, in a bid to fully rest and recover.
Alexander Zverev has withdrawn from Rotterdam, quickly following in the footsteps of defending champion Carlos Alcaraz.
Alcaraz beat Zverev en route to winning the Australian Open, with both players now deciding against heading to the Netherlands so soon after their Melbourne epic.
There is also no Jannik Sinner, Novak Djokovic or Lorenzo Musetti, meaning Alex de Minaur is the top seed at the Rotterdam Open.
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ATP strength on show in Rotterdam despite Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev withdrawals
Despite the high-profile withdrawals and absences, the high-quality Rotterdam Open field has highlighted the superb state of the ATP Tour.
In round one, top seed De Minaur must take on the returning Arthur Fils, representing one of many blockbuster ties.
Elsewhere in Rotterdam, Daniil Medvedev meets Ugo Humbert, and Alexander Bublik has been drawn to face Hubert Hurkacz.
Such is the quality of the field, Fils, Humbert and Hurkacz are all unseeded, as are Stefanos Tsitsipas and Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard.
Felix Auger-Aliassime is also taking part in the tournament, for which legendary figure Stan Wawrinka has earned a wildcard, further proving the strength in depth on the ATP Tour.
Alcaraz and Zverev are, of course, huge misses in the Netherlands, but it’s great to see what can happen in the absence of such big-name players.
And with no Sinner either, one player may be able to put forward his candidacy to challenge the dominance of the two leading players in men’s tennis right now.
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WTA mirrors ATP quality with Qatar Open field
Fittingly, there is a very similar scenario currently playing out on the WTA Tour, which has moved on to the Qatar Open.
Naomi Osaka withdrew from Qatar early, with the former world number one followed by American trio Jessica Pegula, Madison Keys and Iva Jovic.
Aryna Sabalenka withdrew from the Qatar Open to add to the growing list, which certainly isn’t ideal for the first WTA 1000 event of the season.
However, a very strong field has still been confirmed in Doha, which includes Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff, Amanda Anisimova and Australian Open champion Elena Rybakina.
It is immediately followed in the schedule by the WTA 1000 Dubai, while the men’s calendar moves on to ATP 500 tournaments in Qatar and Rio.
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