And suddenly we’re in Rome…

The US Open has just ended and suddenly we’re in Rome for the Rome ATP Masters 1000. It’s great to have tennis back on, right?

Rafael Nadal is back in action for the first time since the COVID break. It will be really interesting to see how he does in his first match in months. As we all know, Rafa thrives on playing a lot of matches, so I think we can expect both nerves and rust from the King of Clay.

Still, this is clay and Rafa will head to the French Open at the end of September as one of the favorites, no matter what happens in the Rome ATP Masters 1000.

Djokovic is on the court as I write this and he is one game away from the victory against Salvatore Caruso. He is likely keen to put the drama of the US Open behind him and win yet another Masters title.

You can check out the draw of the Rome ATP Masters 1000 here.

No Thiem this time

Thiem was clever enough to rest this week after his US Open title and the same with his final opponent Alexander Zverev.

But there are plenty of interesting players in the draw. Stan the Man is out though after being defeated in straight sets by talented youngster Lorenzo Musetti. Musetti showcased great touch and clay court creativity in his 6-0 7-5 win against Wawrinka. Italian tennis has never been as good as this with so many dangerous players in the top 100.

Khachanov’s struggles continue after he lost to Casper Ruud in the first round, but Nishikori is back to winning ways after a long injury timeout. It’s always fun to watch Nishikori’s explosive game and he looked great in his first match against Ramos-Vinolas.

Next-Gen champion Jannik Sinner had no issues against a self-defeating Benoit Paire. Paire had a severe meltdown during the match, perhaps inspired by him being on a 12-day hotel room lockdown in New York after testing positive for COVID-19. At the time of writing, Sinner is a break up against Tsitsipas.

Lots of tennis to look forward to this week. Can we expect a Djoker or Rafa win or is it time for someone new?