The earth ‘swallows’ Spanish tennis players: out of the round of 16 in Monte Carlo for the first time in 36 years

The clay court has swallowed the spanish tennis players without any compassion in this edition of the Monte Carlo Masters 1000. The clay tour could not have started on the wrong foot for ours: for the first time since 1987 there will be no presence of the national racket in the round of 16 of an always talismanic tournament. The absence of representatives has consummated this Wednesday, when Roberto Bautistathe last Spaniard standing, has fallen against Alexander Zverev for a double 6-4.

Things have almost always gone so well in Monegasque lands that you have to travel 36 years ago in time to find a situation identical to the current one. Then it was the brothers Sánchez Vicario (Emilio and Javier) and Sergio Casal who did not prosper too much in Monte Carlo: the three players fell on their debut. The five Spanish tennis players present in the 2023 edition have not fared much better.

From the outset, it was clear that nothing was going to be the same: both Carlos Alcaraz as Rafael Nadal, the two great references of Spanish men’s tennis, have been dropped from the tournament. The first, due to suffering from post-traumatic arthritis in the left hand and muscular discomfort in the spine. The second, because he still hasn’t returned to the courts since January, when he broke (the iliopsoas of his right leg) at the last Australian Open.

It started, therefore, without two indisputable favorites in any self-respecting tournament of substance, and even more so on land. Even so, some surprise on the part of some of the members of the second unit of the ‘Armada’ was not ruled out. One that did arrive in 2022 and that was frustrated at the first change a year later.

Defending the final of the last edition has cost dearly to Alexander Davidovich. The man from Malaga found himself with a tough nut to crack in the Russian Karen Khachanov in the first round and he couldn’t help but say goodbye to Monte Carlo (double 6-2). There he once obtained 600 points that now, since they are not equaled or surpassed, will mean he will go from being number 24 in the ATP ranking (the best ranking of his career) to staying close to 40th place.

Bernabe Zapata y Albert Ramos they suffered the same fate as Davidovich. The first fell to Benjamin Bonzi 6-1, 7-5, while the second received a 6-4, 6-3 at the hands of Jan-Lennard Struff. Bautista was able to overcome the first round of Monte Carlo, in which he got rid of Filip Krajinovic in three sets (5-7, 7-6 and 6-1). he got it too James Munar, which ended with Marc-Andrea Huesler (7-6, 4-6 and 6-4). However, both Bautista’s and Munar’s adventures ended in the second round: neither Zverev nor Andrey Rublev (4-6, 6-2 and 6-2 victory over Munar) gave them a chance. Thus, Montecarlo lost all presence for the cause in its Masters 1000 of the country that has given the most glory to the tournament throughout the years.

It was in 1960 when Andrés Gimeno won the first title for a Spanish tennis player in Monte Carlo. Manolo Santana also won the tournament in 1966 and Manuel Orantes did the same in 1975. It took until 1991 for Sergi Bruguera to return the trophy to our racket sport, winning it again in 1993. In 1998, it was the turn of Carlos Moya.

Juan Carlos Ferrero was another Spanish winner twice (2002 and 2003). Then came Nadal, the player of any nationality who has won the most times in Monte Carlo. The tournament did not know another winner between 2005 and 2012, the man from Manacor also taking it in 2016, 2017 and 2018.

The Spanish shadow in Monaco is even longer if we take into account the finalists and the doubles draw: Albert Costa, Álex Corretja, Fernando Verdasco, David Ferrer, Albert Ramos, Davidovich, Juan Gisbert, Sergio Casal and Emilio Sánchez Vicario, Javier Sánchez Vicario, Tommy Robredo with Nadal, Feliciano López and Marc López…

An epic turned into a tragedy for this occasion. We will have to wait for Barcelona, ​​Madrid, Rome and, above all, the clay of Roland Garros to seek glory again on the albero.