Roger Federer will not join the Monte Carlo Masters scheduled for April due to a change in his clay season’s schedule. Meanwhile, Federer’s greatest competition and top-ranked tennis player, Rafael Nadal, confirmed his participation in the much anticipated event.
Tournament director, Zljko Franulovic, confirmed Federer’s absence in the Monte Carlo Masters stating that Federer already told him beforehand that there would be a change in the player’s clay season schedule. Franulovic states that Federer can still enter using a last-minute wild card if he changes his mind.
Federer is a three-time finalist in the Monte Carlo Masters. On the other hand, Rafael Nadal entered this year’s Monte Carlo aiming for a fifth straight title. Last year, Nadal beat Federer with a score of 7-5, 7-5 to win his fourth straight Monte Carlo Masters title. Winning the title for the fifth time will set a record for the top-ranked tennis player.
Eight of the top ten players have confirmed entry for the Masters. Andy Roddick, currently ranked at number 7 will also miss this year’s Monte Carlo.
The Monte Carlo tennis Masters is a tournament for male professional tennis players and is held once a year in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin near Monte Carlo and Monaco in France. The Monte Carlo Masters is one of the nine tournaments that make up the Association of Tennis Professionals including Indian Wells Masters, Miami Masters, Rome Masters, Hamburg Masters, Canada Masters, Cincinnati Masters, Madrid Masters and Paris Masters. Aside from the four Grand Slams, these tournaments earn more world ranking points than other tournaments for professional tennis players. The prize money for this year’s Monte Carlo Masters is €2,750,000 euros.