Monte-Carlo Masters 2025 is around the corner and several of the world’s best players will be in action. Stefanos Tsitsipas is the defending champion, having won his third title in 2024 after beating Casper Ruud in the final.
The Gree is bound to have a tough title defense as the playing field comprises of some quality players in Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz, Alexander Zverev and Casper Ruud, among others. The likes of Andrey Rublev and Holger Rune have also performed impressively on clay over the past couple of years and they are capable of going deep in Monte-Carlo.
Despite many top players being in action, there are also some notable absentees from the Masters 1000 event. On that note, let us take a look at five players who will miss the Monte-Carlo Masters.
1. Jannik Sinner
World No. 1 Jannik Sinner reached the semifinals of the Masters 1000 event last year but will not be able to compete this year due to his ongoing doping ban. The Italian’s doping saga has eventually resulted in him being banned for three months and the Monte-Carlo Masters will join the Indian Wells and Miami Masters in the list of tournaments he will miss.
Sinner has been in the form of his life since his Australian Open triumph and his absence is no doubt a major miss in Monte-Carlo. The Italian will also miss the Madrid Masters and the Barcelona Open and his ban will end just before the Italian Masters begins.
2. Taylor Fritz
World No. 4 Taylor Fritz is the second Top-5 player who will not compete at the Monte-Carlo Masters. The American has had some decent performances at the tournament before, with his best showing coming in 2023, when he reached the semifinals. He also made it to the quarterfinals of the 2022 edition.
Fritz’s withdrawal allows Roberto Bautista Agut to enter the main draw of the Monte-Carlo Masters. The American’s last tournament was the Miami Open, where he reached the semifinals before losing to eventual champion Jakub Mensik.
He is next scheduled to compete at the BMW Open in Munich, where he is seeded second behind Alexander Zverev.
3. Hubert Hurkacz
Another notable withdrawal at the 2025 Monte-Carlo Masters is World No. 22 Hubert Hurkacz. The Pole is suffering from a back injury that saw him miss the Miami Open and he will also not be able to compete in Monte-Carlo.
Hurkacz made at least the third round in his last three appearances at the Masters 1000 event, with his best performance being reaching the quarterfinals in 2022. The 28-year-old has won seven out of 14 matches so far in the 2025 season, with his last tournament being the Indian Wells Masters, where he reached the third round before losing to Alex de Minaur.
Hurkacz is next scheduled to compete at the BMW Open in Munich.
4. Jakub Mensik
Jakub Mensik delivered some promising performances in 2024 but his major breakthrough came this year, as he won the Miami Open by beating none other than Novak Djokovic in the final in straight sets
