Rafael Nadal, Casper Ruud, Aryna Sabalenka, Maria Sakkari among stars needing big week at Italian Open in Rome
/dnl.eurosport.com/sd/img/placeholder/eurosport_logo_1x1.png){kind=logo}
Published 10/05/2022 at 06:28 GMT
The Italian Open is the last big event before the French Open and a number of players will be hoping to get into form ahead of the second Grand Slam of the year. Rafael Nadal is playing his second tournament since returning from a rib injury while Casper Ruud and Maria Sakkari have yet got results on European clay this year. Jannik Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka will also be hoping to improve.
'I'm ready to win a Grand Slam' after 'best week ever' - Alcaraz
The French Open is fast approaching.
The second Grand Slam of the year starts in Paris on May 22, leaving the Italian Open as the last big opportunity for players to fine-tune their games.
Carlos Alcaraz and Ons Jabeur are looking good shape after their wins in Madrid, but who needs a strong week in Rome in preparation for the French Open?
Casper Ruud
The clay season has not gone according to plan for Ruud.
After a tour-leading 28 victories on clay last year, the Norwegian was expected to be pushing for a place in the top tier, especially after his run at the Miami Open final. Yet Ruud has so far won fewer matches on clay (four) than he did on the hard courts of Miami (five). It’s difficult to pin point exactly what has gone wrong.
He has run into some tricky opponents - Grigor Dimitrov in Monte Carlo, Pablo Carreno Busta in Barcelona, Dusan Lajovic in Madrid – but has also not played at his best level consistently.
A month ago Ruud would have been fancied to at least make the quarter-finals at the French Open with a good draw, but he could do with a confidence-boosting run in Rome.
Paula Badosa
“Stressful,” was how Badosa summed up playing at the Madrid Open. It was not especially surprising then, that with plenty of pressure on her shoulders, the new world No.2 did not go deep at her home tournament.
Badosa was bounced out in the second round by Simona Halep, who played a very good match to win 6-3 6-1. The 24-year-old has had an encouraging clay season otherwise, making the quarter-finals in Charleston and semi-finals in Stuttgart. With those results in her mind, she is far from flustered by her early exit in Madrid.
“I think the key to stay where I am, or a much better ranking, is to stay humble and to work very hard,” said Badosa, who was ranked outside the top 40 this time last year.
/origin-imgresizer.eurosport.com/2022/04/30/3364664-68773548-2560-1440.jpg)
Paula Badosa lost to Simona Halep in Madrid
Image credit: Getty Images
“I think if I play very good on this sport, I'm not better than anyone, you know. I didn't save a life. I'm not a superhero. I'm just playing good in my job. I'm doing my job well, you know? I don't have to change for that."
As well as getting into form in Rome, Badosa also has the chance to strengthen her ranking position as she didn’t play the tournament last year.
Rafael Nadal
After being out for six weeks with a rib injury, Nadal’s comeback in Madrid went about as well as he could have expected: two wins and a hard-fought defeat to Carlos Alcaraz.
“I just accept it naturally with calm and with security that there is a path to continue. It's an easy loss to digest in that regard, because we knew what we could expect here.”
Nadal will hope to take another step forward in Rome, where conditions have suited him better in the past than at altitude in Madrid. He is a 10-time champion in the Italian capital, including last year, and will be hoping to get his game into shape ahead of the French Open.
/origin-imgresizer.eurosport.com/2022/05/06/3367904-68838353-2560-1440.jpg)
Highlights: Alcaraz overcomes injury scare to stun Nadal at the Madrid Open
“I have two-and-a half weeks to get ready to have real options in Paris,” he said after his loss to Alcaraz.
Nadal has been drawn on the same half of the Rome draw as Novak Djokovic and the pair could meet in the semi-finals. That could set the tone for another meeting at the French Open.
Maria Sakkari
Much like Ruud, the clay season has not gone according to plan so far for Sakkari, who made the semi-finals at the French Open last year and said this was her “favourite swing” on tour.
A second-round retirement in Stuttgart was followed by an early loss to Daria Kasatkina in Madrid. Since making the Indian Wells final in March, Sakkari has only won one match and looks to be suffering a loss of form at the wrong time.
Some positive results in Rome could be just what Sakkari needs to lift her mood. The draw doesn’t look too kind for her, though, as she opens against either Sloane Stephens or Ekaterina Alexandrova, who reached the Madrid semi-finals.
Jannik Sinner
It’s difficult to gauge where exactly Sinner’s place is right now in the men’s game.
He’s had some promising showings this season and has a respectable 21-5 win-loss record. But he’s yet to make it past the quarter-finals at any tournament and he was destroyed 6-1 6-2 by Felix Auger-Aliassime in his last outing in Madrid. He’s also slipped out of the top 10 and has watched fellow young rising star Alcaraz soar past him.
In a bid to take the next step, Sinner made a coaching change after the Australian Open, splitting with his long-time coach Riccardo Piatti and hiring Simone Vagnozzi. But the move doesn’t seem to be paying off so far.
/origin-imgresizer.eurosport.com/2022/05/04/3366726-68814788-2560-1440.jpg)
Will Jannik Sinner go deep in Rome?
Image credit: Getty Images
"He wants different tools from the ones he's had his entire life,” Italy's Davis Cup captain Filippo Volandri told Associated Press ahead of the Italian Open.
Sinner has struggled with injuries over the last few months and will be desperate for a strong showing in his home tournament.
Aryna Sabalenka
After a below-par start to the season, Sabalenka produced her best run at the Stuttgart Open as she reached the final, where she was beaten by Iga Swiatek.
But in Madrid, where she was defending champion, she lost in the first round to Amanda Anisimova. The result was not a huge shock considering Anisimova had won her previous three meetings with Sabalenka, but it is another setback for the world No.4 ahead of Rome and the French Open.
Sabalenka seemed on the cusp of a major breakthrough after reaching the semi-finals at Wimbledon and the US Open last year. However, unless she can find another level in Rome it seems unlikely that she will go deep in Paris.
Cutting down on double faults remains Sabalenka’s top priority, she is currently leading the WTA Tour with 187 this season, well clear of second-placed Badosa with 112. Against Anisimova she threw in eight double faults which clearly didn’t help her cause.
- - -
Stream the 2022 French Open live and on-demand on discovery+
Scan me
Related Topics
Share this article
Advertisement
Advertisement