“Balls were a joke today,” Zverev said, according to Tennis.com, referring to an element that affected his level of play on Wednesday. “Generally speaking this is a subject we’ve had over the last three, four years now. Players are talking about it all the time.”

Alexander expanded on what he claimed was a widely held concern among players. “They say we play with the same ball in Monaco, Madrid, Munich. Then we come here and the ball is totally different,” he said, before describing those differences in more detail: “The ball is very, very big. It’s very difficult to hit winners here. It’s just how it is these days.”

Statistically, Zverev recorded 20 winners during the match—the same number as Musetti. The key difference, which helped determine the 7-6, 6-4 result, was accuracy: while the Italian had 20 unforced errors, Zverev committed 36.

Zverev points to stylistic contrast with Musetti

Zverev himself offered a potential explanation for the unforced error discrepancy and the role the balls may have played. “I think he plays similar when he plays on clay all the time,” Alexander said of Musetti. “He depends a lot on defense. He depends a lot on the mistakes from other opponents.”

Drawing a contrast with his own approach, the World No. 2 added: “For my game style, today was not easy because at the end of the day, I’m still somebody that tries to play aggressive. I’m still somebody that tries to serve very fast. That’s how it is. It’s difficult to get free points today.”

Roland Garros is Zverev’s next goal

The loss to Musetti means Zverev will now be inactive for 10 days before his next competition: the second Grand Slam of the year. “I have to move forward and I have to plan myself for Paris and do the best that I can there,” he said. Roland Garros begins Sunday, May 25, and Alexander will enter as one of the tournament favorites, having reached the semifinals in each of the last four editions.

Musetti reaches an impressive milestone

With his win over Alexander Zverev, Lorenzo Musetti advanced to the semifinals of the Rome Open and became the first male player to reach three Masters 1000 semifinals in 2025, having also done so in Madrid and Monte-Carlo.

The World No. 9 now faces another major challenge in Rome: he’ll take on Carlos Alcaraz in the next round on Friday morning. The other semifinal features Jannik Sinner vs. Tommy Paul, setting up the possibility of an all-Italian final.

The Spanish star, currently one of the best players in the world and increasingly a clay-court specialist, asserted his dominance and secured a relatively straightforward 6-4, 6-4 win to reach the semifinals in the Italian capital, where he will face Lorenzo Musetti.

“I lost to a better player,” Draper admitted after the match against Alcaraz, according to the official ATP Tour website. “It hurts a lot, this kind of loss. But Carlos played a really good match and he was the better player. I have to accept that.”

Still, Jack didn’t limit his reflection to Alcaraz’s level of play. “I’m very disappointed with the way I performed, in a way. I think from a mental and emotional point of view, you could say that’s normal, you had a tough four weeks now,” he said, before delivering a strong message. “I don’t want to be normal. I want to be right up there.”

Draper reflects on his recent performances

While reaching the final in Madrid and the quarterfinals in Rome are impressive results that signal a leap forward in his clay-court game, Draper explained that the physical and mental toll of a heavy match schedule may have impacted his level. “I’ve been playing the last four weeks now pretty much,” he explained.

“I’ve been struggling a little bit to maintain my quality all throughout the matches. Today against someone like that, you can’t have those dips in your standards because you get punished,” he added, referring to Alcaraz.

Even so, the British star expressed pride in his recent level. “I’ve been playing some really good stuff. I’m really proud of the way I’ve approached the clay season, especially so far. Obviously good results. Hard to keep on going. But I know that if I want to be a top, top player, I have to be consistent week in, week out.”

Draper’s next target: Roland Garros

Jack Draper is experiencing the best clay season of his professional career, but now faces his biggest challenge yet. “I’m looking forward to going to Roland Garros because I haven’t been able to play very good tennis there in the past,” he explained. “This time hopefully it’s a good opportunity for me to go and really put my game on the court and carry on with the momentum where I left off. Definitely after today I’ll be very hungry to want to show some really good stuff there.”

“I want to take revenge from Indian Wells,” Alcaraz said of the upcoming match against Draper, according to the official ATP Tour website. The comment refers to their most recent meeting, in the semifinals of this year’s Masters 1000 in the California desert, where the British player won in three sets on his way to the title. “I will try to be more ready,” Carlos added.

Still, the Spanish star made it clear how much respect he has for his next opponent. “He’s one of the best players in the world right now,” Alcaraz said of the current World No. 5. “The results show how he good is playing lately… It’s going to be an interesting match to watch and to play.”

What did Draper say about Alcaraz?

Jack Draper reached the quarterfinals of the Rome Open by defeating Luciano Darderi, Vit Kopriva, and Corentin Moutet—none of whom are ranked in the ATP top 40. The matchup with Carlos Alcaraz will be his first major test of the tournament, but he’s confident in his chances. “I feel strong and I feel good about the match. I hope that I can bring some really good tennis,” he said.

“I have big respect for him. I know what he’s going to bring. He’s going to be really tough to beat,” Draper said of Alcaraz. And when asked specifically about how he envisions Wednesday’s match, he added: “I see it as just two guys who are playing great tennis going out there and wanting to win and beat each other and be competitive.”

The Alcaraz–Draper rivalry

So far, Jack Draper and Carlos Alcaraz have faced each other five times on the ATP Tour. Their most recent encounter was Draper’s victory in the semifinals at Indian Wells, while earlier this year they met in the round of 16 at the Australian Open, where the Spanish star came out on top.

In 2024, Draper also claimed a win in the round of 16 at Queen’s Club in London, while in 2023, Alcaraz earned two victories—at Indian Wells and Swiss Indoors Basel—in what were the first two matches between the two.

These head-to-head results give Alcaraz a slight edge, with three wins in five meetings. However, they have never played each other on clay. While that surface would seemingly favor the Spanish star, Draper had his best-ever clay performance just days ago, reaching the final of the Madrid Open against Casper Ruud. That’s why this match is shaping up to be one of the most compelling showdowns of the week.

Now the World No. 2 added this latest victory to the six he recorded during last year’s tournament, where he won the title. That makes seven straight wins at the Rome Open, with his last loss in the event coming in 2023, when he was knocked out in the Round of 16 by Daniil Medvedev.

It’s clear that Zverev thrives in Rome, something he acknowledged before his debut. “I feel confident here,” Alexander said just days ago, after arriving in the Italian capital. “I really like the place, so I hope I can play as well as last year and win a lot of matches.”

One key factor contributing to the World No. 2’s success at the Rome Open is the surface. With Friday’s win, Zverev tied Stanislas Wawrinka for the second-most ATP Masters 1000 wins on clay among active players. Both now have 64, trailing only Novak Djokovic, who leads with 137.

Zverev reflects on his victory vs Ugo Carabelli

This year, Zverev has suffered more than one early exit at major tournaments, making every match a potential pitfall—even against lower-ranked opponents like Argentina’s Camilo Ugo Carabelli, currently ranked No. 60.

“I think in general it was a pretty good match,” said Zverev, according to the official ATP Tour website. “He’s obviously not a guy who has the biggest game, but all in all I did my things well and I’m happy about that.”

What’s next for Zverev in Rome?

Zverev’s quick win over Ugo Carabelli gives him some valuable rest before his next match in the Round of 32. His upcoming opponent will be a surprise entry: Vilius Gaubas, a Lithuanian ranked No. 154 in the world who made it through the qualifiers. In the previous round, Gaubas pulled off a notable upset over Denis Shapovalov.

“Not my problem,” Navone told Tennis.com when asked about Sinner’s ban, making clear he holds no resentment toward Jannik over the issue. “Now he’s a normal player. He stopped, he completed his suspension, and it’s really safe. He took some time. Three months is time. It’s tough to be out for three months, but he completed his suspension and that’s it.”

Still, the Argentine admitted that the opportunity to compete against one of the sport’s elite adds weight to the match. “It would be the biggest victory of my career,” said Mariano. “It’s not often you have the chance to play against the No. 1 player in the world. So, it’s special for me.”

Navone reached his career-high ranking of No. 29 last year, though he has yet to capture an ATP Tour title. He currently sits at World No. 99 and is coming off a quarterfinal loss at the Challenger event in Aix-en-Provence to Borna Coric. That makes Saturday’s showdown with Sinner a key moment for him. “It’s challenge and I have to take it like that for me and my game,” he said.

Navone believes it won’t be easy for Sinner

Mariano Navone advanced to the main draw of the Rome Masters 1000 by defeating Italian wild card Federico Cina in the opening round of 128. “It was tough because Federico was such a good player and also many are in the crowd who want to see him and want him to win,” the Argentine told reporter David Kane of Tennis.com.

The World No. 99 also emphasized how important this tournament is to him: “I’ve played at Grand Slams but this is one of the biggest stages outside that, making it a very special tournament.”

Looking ahead to Saturday’s second-round match against Jannik Sinner, Navone speculated that the suspension could be a factor for the Italian. “He stopped three months ago and this is his first match, so it’s not easy for him either,” said Mariano.

What’s next for Sinner

The Rome Open marks Jannik Sinner’s first appearance since winning the Australian Open in January—his last outing on the ATP Tour before the three-month suspension. The round of 64 matchup against Mariano Navone will serve as a key test and chance for Sinner to find his form again. Should he advance, he’ll face the winner between Jesper De Jong and Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.

According to the official ATP Tour website, the total prize pool for the Internazionali BNL d’Italia, held in Rome and featuring both men’s and women’s singles and doubles draws, will be €8,055,385 (approximately $9.1 million).

The champion will earn €985,030 (around $1.11 million), while the runner-up will take home more than $590,000. Semifinalists will receive nearly $330,000. Prize money scales down for players eliminated in earlier rounds, with first-round exits earning around $23,000.

But the financial reward isn’t the only motivation to go deep in the draw. As with all Masters 1000 events, the tournament carries significant prestige and offers a large number of ATP ranking points, which could prove decisive in shaping the standings.

The tournament winner will collect 1,000 points, while the runner-up earns 650. Semifinalists will receive 400 points, quarterfinalists 200, and points continue to decrease for earlier exits, all the way down to 10 points for a first-round loss.

A major absence from the Rome Open

The Rome Masters 1000 is set to run from May 7 to May 18—just a week before Roland Garros begins. The tight schedule has prompted some players to skip the Italian event in order to rest and prepare fully for the French Open.

The first to officially withdraw from Rome was Novak Djokovic, who announced his decision in late April, shortly after suffering an early elimination in the first round of the Madrid Open against Matteo Arnaldi. Still, the Serbian star might not be the only notable absence.

Carlos Alcaraz missed Madrid due to an adductor injury and expressed a desire to compete in Italy. “My mindset is to do everything it takes to be a hundred percent for Rome,” he said. But he also made it clear that his ultimate focus lies elsewhere: “My hope is to play in Rome. If not, next tournament is Roland Garros for me… A Grand Slam is a Grand Slam.”

Past champions at the Rome Open

Rafael Nadal holds the record for most Rome Open titles, winning 10 out of 12 finals played. Behind him is Novak Djokovic with six championships. However, with Nadal now retired and Djokovic sitting out this year’s edition, the title race is wide open.

One of the leading favorites is World No. 2 Alexander Zverev, a two-time Rome Open champion (2017, 2024). The only other former champion in the draw is Daniil Medvedev. Finally, all eyes will be on Jannik Sinner—not only because he’s Italian and the current World No. 1, but also because this will be his first tournament back following a three-month doping suspension.

On Tuesday, the official account of the Italian tournament on X (Internazionali BNL d’Italia) announced that Djokovic has decided not to participate in this year’s event. While no official explanation has been given, it is widely speculated that the decision is related to his physical condition.

Following his loss to Arnaldi in the round of 64 at the Madrid Open last Saturday, the Serbian star still had more than 10 days before his expected debut in Rome, as the tournament is set to begin on May 6. However, the choice to withdraw well in advance indicates that Novak determined he would not be in optimal shape to compete.

His next target this season is one of the calendar’s premier events: Roland Garros, which begins on May 25. That gives Djokovic nearly a month to prepare and return to peak physical and competitive form.

Djokovic’s first absence from Rome

Novak Djokovic made his debut at the Rome Open in 2007 and, from that point on, maintained an impressive streak of 18 consecutive appearances through 2024. This year’s absence marks the first time the Serbian star will miss the tournament in the Italian capital.

Djokovic has an outstanding record at the Rome Masters 1000. Across his 18 appearances, he reached the final 12 times. He lifted the trophy on six occasions—in 2008, 2011, 2014, 2015, 2020, and 2022—making him the second-most successful player in the tournament’s history, trailing only Rafael Nadal, who has 10 titles.

What will happen with Alcaraz in Rome?

With Novak Djokovic officially out of the Rome Open, attention now turns to whether Carlos Alcaraz will be able to compete in the tournament or if, as happened in 2024, he will miss out due to injury concerns.

Alcaraz announced last week that he would miss the Madrid Open, explaining that his top priority was to fully recover from the adductor injury he suffered in Barcelona. “My mindset is to do everything it takes to be a hundred percent for Rome,” said Carlos.

“My hope is to play in Rome. If not, next tournament is Roland Garros for me,” Carlos assured, making it clear that the French Open is his main goal. “A Grand Slam is a Grand Slam. If I play here (in Madrid), I could make the injuries worse and stop for several months and that’s not worth it.”

“The first games will be really difficult,” Sinner admitted in a recent interview with ORF Sudtirol, referring to the challenge of regaining match rhythm after such a long absence from the ATP Tour. “Hopefully I’ll be able to get back into the rhythm and then we’ll see how it goes.”

As for how he’s preparing for the comeback, Jannik was direct. “Now that we have less than a month to go, we’re training very, very hard,” he said. The Rome Open is scheduled to begin on May 6, which means the Italian player’s debut is likely a few days later. That gives him nearly two weeks to fine-tune his game.

“Hopefully we’ll get some momentum going again ahead of the clay season,” added Sinner, who knows that in addition to the Rome Open, there’s still one more major tournament on clay this year: Ronald Garros. “It certainly won’t be easy for me,” he admitted.

Sinner finds a silver lining in his suspension

Although the three-month suspension came as a harsh blow—and at a moment when he was dominating the ATP Tour—Jannik Sinner has chosen to focus on the positives that have emerged from the situation. “I think at the beginning of the three months, it was quite nice,” he said.

He went on to explain how he approached his time away from the sport: “A bit of time away from all the grind, I spent time with family, with friends. I was doing new things and getting to know myself better, finding out where I stand. I think it helped me a lot.”

Sinner remains atop the ATP rankings

During his three-month doping suspension, Jannik Sinner missed out on several major tournaments, including the Masters 1000 events in Indian Wells, Miami, Monte-Carlo, and Madrid—losing the chance to collect crucial points. However, his top challengers failed to capitalize on the opportunity.

Alexander Zverev, World No. 2, saw a dip in form after losing the Australian Open final and followed it up with disappointing performances in the next few tournaments—a streak he finally snapped last week by winning the title in Munich.

Carlos Alcaraz had a similar run: early exits in Doha, Indian Wells, and Miami were followed by a title in Monte-Carlo and a runner-up finish in Barcelona. He has now withdrawn from Madrid due to physical issues. Given that context, Jannik Sinner will return in May still holding on to the No. 1 spot in the rankings.

“I won’t be able to play the Madrid Open this year. I’ll miss you all very much—see you next year,” Alcaraz announced on Thursday. “Madrid is one of the special tournaments for me, it’s a tournament that I enjoy, I get to play in front of my fans, it’s one of the first tournaments I attended when I was a kid.”

Immediately after, the World No. 3 explained that his choice was about physical recovery in preparation for the upcoming tournaments. “These types of decisions are not easy to make but sometimes you have to think about your health and about what is important,” he said, before revealing his priority for the clay season.

“My hope is to play in Rome. If not, next tournament is Roland Garros for me,” Carlos said. “A Grand Slam is a Grand Slam. If I play here, I could make the injuries worse and stop for several months and that’s not worth it.”

Alcaraz hopes to be back soon

With the Madrid Open off the schedule, Carlos Alcaraz’s next target is the ATP Masters 1000 in Rome, which begins May 5 and serves as the final major tournament before Roland Garros. “My mindset is to do everything it takes to be a hundred percent for Rome,” the Spanish star explained.

“I’m not really worried about it,” he said regarding his physical condition. “I believe it’s going to take one week, one week and a half, two weeks maximum, but I won’t have doubts about coming back and moving 100% again.” On the steps ahead in his recovery, he clarified: “I will do some tests at the beginning of next week just to see how it’s improved, and from that let’s see how it’s going to be the next days… So I will try to be on court as soon as possible.”

A packed schedule is a challenge for Alcaraz

Carlos Alcaraz also took a moment to reflect on the demanding conditions tennis players face throughout the year on the ATP Tour. “Tennis is really a demanding sport,” he said.

“Playing week after week, so many matches in a row, and you have to heal your body sometimes and take difficult decisions,” added the World No. 3. “The schedule is really tight, really difficult tournaments week after week, and sometimes you have to think about yourself sometimes, and make the right decisions as to your health.”

The event started life as the Italian tennis championship and was first held in 1930 in Milan but moved to Rome in 1935. Now it is either called the Italian Open, the Rome Masters or by its sponsor name Internazionali BNL d’Italia.

The matches format will be the best of 3 sets, and the prize money on this year’s edition is €5,415,410, up 159.99% versus the 2021 edition played behind closed doors. The top winner of the ATP Masters 1000 Rome is Rafael Nadal. The Spaniard has won the tournament ten times. Also, he is the last champion, in 2021 was crowned champion after defeating Novak Djokovic in the men’s singles final with a 7-5, 1-6 y 6-3 result.

ATP Masters 1000 Rome: Draw

Novak Djokovic, Alexander Zverev, Rafael Nadal, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Casper Ruud, Andrey Rublev, Carlos Alcaraz, and Felix Auger-Aliassime are the top eight who receive a bye into the second round.

ATP Masters 1000 Rome: Dates

Qualifications: 7-8 May
1st Round: 8-9 May
1st & 2nd Rounds: 10 May
2nd Rounds: 11 May
Round of 16: 12 May
Quarter-Finals: 13 May
Semi-Finals: 14 May
Final: 15 May

ATP Masters 1000 Rome: TV channel

The ATP Masters 1000 Rome that will be played at the Foro Italico in Rome will be broadcast in the US on FuboTV (free trial). Other options: Tennis Channel.

Which are the top players contending for the ATP Masters 1000 Rome?

The ATP Masters 1000 Rome draw is comprised of 56 players including 16 seeds. The Internazionali BNL d’Italia will feature Top 10 stars Djokovic, Tsitsipas, Andrey Rublev, Alcaraz, Alexander Zverev, and Nadal, who is the reigning champion, and the top winner with 10 titles. Daniil Medvedev, number 2, had to undergo surgery and will miss the tournament, and Matteo Berrettini underwent surgery for a right-hand injury. The Italian has already missed the Monte Carlo and Madrid Masters 1000.