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The Monte Carlo Masters has been hit by another double withdrawal as Jack Draper and Sebastian Korda have become the latest players to pull out of the clay-court tournament.

The first ATP Masters 1000 event on clay will run from 5 to 12 April at the Monte Carlo Country Club in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin and it will feature seven of the top-10 players in the ATP Rankings.

World No 1 Carlos Alcaraz is the defending champion and the top seed with Jannik Sinner, Alexander Zverev, Lorenzo Musetti, Alex de Minaur, Félix Auger-Aliassime, Daniil Medvedev and Alexander Bublik completing the top eight.

The biggest name missing from that list is, of course, tennis great Novak Djokovic as tournament organisers confirmed last week that the two-time champion would not feature in the 2026 edition.

It wasn’t the biggest surprise as Djokovic also skipped the Miami Open, but it will be the first time since 2011 that he won’t be in the main draw of the Monte Carlo Masters. In fact, since making his debut at the event in 2007, the 2011 edition was the only time he didn’t feature.

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Djokovic, who was set to be seeded fourth, was replaced in the main draw by Sebastian Baez.

Taylor Fritz was also due to be seeded as he is currently eighth in the ATP Rankings, but he has been managing his knee injury for several months and has decided to take some time off to “get it healed 100 percent”.

France’s Terence Atmane will take the American’s place in the main draw.

Great Britain’s Draper is another player who has been managing an injury as he has struggled with an arm problem since last year.

After missing the latter stages of the 2025 season and the start of the 2026 campaign, the former world No 4 made his comeback in Dubai and also played in Indian Wells and Miami.

But he will be absent from the Monte Carlo Masters in order to recover fully.

World No 52 Daniel Altmaier from Germany has received the nod as Draper’s replacement while Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard will take Korda’s place in the draw.

American Korda, who pulled off the upset of the Miami Open when he beat top seed Alcaraz in the third round, is out with a back injury.

Of the four players who will be absent, Draper had the most points to defend as he will drop 100 points as he reached the round of 16 last year.

Djokovic and Korda lost earlier and will drop only 10 points while Fritz didn’t play in Monte Carlo 12 months ago.

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Former Wimbledon champion Marion Bartoli has urged Emma Raducanu to copy Aryna Sabalenka’s approach and maintain a long-term relationship with her next coach.

World No 28 Raducanu is currently without a permanent coach, following her split from Francisco Roig after a disappointing Australian Open campaign in January.

The Brit and Roig had only started working together last August, and Raducanu’s split from the Spaniard was the latest in a long line of ultimately short-lived partnerships.

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Since making her WTA Tour debut in 2021, the former US Open champion has worked with a string of coaches, including, but not exclusively, Andrew Richardson, Torben Beltz, and Dmitry Tursunov, with her partnership with Nick Cavaday the only one to last longer than last year.

In the aftermath of her split from Roig, Raducanu has worked with long-time confidantes Alexis Canter and Mark Petchey, and revealed earlier in March that she was not focused on looking for “one coach” to step in and work with her.

However, former world No 7 Bartoli believes this is the wrong approach and has urged Raducanu to look to Sabalenka for inspiration.

Sabalenka has been coached by Anton Dubrov since 2020, and has gone on to reach world No 1 and win four Grand Slam singles titles under his guidance.

Speaking to Sky Sports, Bartoli claimed that Raducanu would not improve if she were unable to stick with a coach for a long-term period.

“For Emma to keep changing coaches is a difficult topic because you need to have some sort of stability,” said Bartoli.

“When you look at the coaching system, Sabalenka has had the same coach for such a long period of time, and I think for Emma it’s about trying to find the right fit!

She added: “I do strongly believe she will need to find someone she can trust for a long period of time if she wants to improve.”

Following her split from Roig, Raducanu reached her first final since the 2021 US Open at the Transylvania Open in Cluj this February.

However, the Brit sustained an illness that affected her across the Middle East swing, and which then saw her withdraw from the Miami Open after a disappointing Indian Wells campaign.

Raducanu has not yet confirmed or announced any new coaching hire, but she is set to return to action at the WTA 500 Linz Open next week.

It will be the 23-year-old’s first clay-court event of 2026, with Raducanu then set to play the WTA 1000 events in Madrid and Rome before the second Grand Slam event of the season at Roland Garros.

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The Upper Austria Ladies Linz will be the first clay-court tournament on European soil in 2026 and the field will include four Grand Slam winners.

The WTA 500 event will feature only three top-20 players as several WTA stars will be in action in the Billie Jean King Cup qualifiers taking place at the same time next week, while others have opted to take an extended break after the Sunshine Double in the United States.

Defending champion and world No 13 Ekaterina Alexandrova will be the top seed as she is the highest-ranked player in the main draw of the 35th edition of the Austria tournament that will be staged at the Design Centre Linz.

How many players will feature at the Upper Austria Ladies Linz?

The WTA Tour event is a 28-player singles draw competition and the eight highest-ranked players in the field will be seeded with the top four receiving byes into the second round.

Besides Alexandrova, Clara Tauson (No 17), Liudmila Samsonova (No 21), Jeļena Ostapenko (No 23), Emma Navarro (No 25), Emma Raducanu (No 28), Sorana Cirstea (No 29) and Jaqueline Cristian (No 35) are the seeds.

Rising star Alex Eala has dropped to No 45 in the WTA Rankings after the Miami Open so she misses out on a seeding for the tournament.

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Of the 28 players in the main draw, three have received wildcards and they are Austrians Julia Grabher, Sinja Kraus and Lilli Tagger while former world No 1 Karolina Pliskova has used her protected ranking to enter.

Six players will earn their spots in the main draw through qualifying, while the remaining players are direct entries (see the full list below).

The Grand Slam winners who will feature are Barbora Krejcikova (2024 Wimbledon and 2021 French Open), Marketa Vondrousova (2022 Wimbledon), Raducanu (2021 US Open) and Ostapenko (2017 French Open).

What are the key dates and when will the draw take place?

The main draw starts on Monday, 6 April with the final set for Sunday, 12 April in Austria’s third-largest city.

The official draw ceremony has been pencilled in for 10:30am on Easter Sunday, 5 April.

2026 Upper Austria Ladies Linz Entry List:

1. Ekaterina Alexandrova
2. Clara Tauson
3. Liudmila Samsonova
4. Jeļena Ostapenko
5. Emma Navarro
6. Emma Raducanu
7. Sorana Cirstea
8. Jaqueline Cristian

Wildcards
Julia Grabher
Sinja Kraus
Lilli Tagger

Protected Ranking
Karolina Pliskova

Other Entrants
Ann Li
Sara Bejlek
Marketa Vondrousova
Alexandra Eala
Dayana Yastremska
Barbora Krejcikova
Tatjana Maria
Shuai Zhang
Katie Boulter
Daria Kasatkina
Qualifier
Qualifier
Qualifier
Qualifier
Qualifier
Qualifier

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Jannik Sinner is within touching distance of the world No 1 ranking as he could overtake Carlos Alcaraz at the upcoming Monte Carlo Masters, but he used an interesting word to discuss the potential showdown in Monaco.

Alcaraz has been top of the ATP Rankings since November and he increased his points lead over Sinner when he won the Australian Open, but the Italian has hit back in the best possible fashion in recent weeks as he won the Indian Wells Open and Miami Open.

It resulted in a 1,960-point swing as Sinner earned 2,000 points for winning the Sunshine Double as he didn’t have any points to defend, while Alcaraz picked up only 40 points following a semi-final defeat in California and a third-round loss in Florida.

The Spaniard now leads the rankings by 1,190 points and he will drop another 1,000 points at the start of the Monte Carlo Masters as he is the defending champion while Sinner once again doesn’t have any points to defend.

If both reach the latter stages of the first ATP Masters 1000 clay-court event of the year with Sinner outperforming the 23-year-old, then the Italian will reclaim the No 1 spot in the rankings.

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Asked about his battle with Alcaraz, Sinner said: “I think it’s all individual, our sport, that it’s very tough. As I said, you know, things don’t change as how I see.

“You know, the big picture for me is depending on how I play, and that should be the ranking.

“Carlos, he has been so consistent, you know, for so, so long. Now we go on clay, you know, where we all know how strong he is there.”

He Sinner then sort of downplayed his ability to recover in time for the Monte Carlo Masters, which starts on 6 April, as he revealed the turnaround time is quickly stating “if I want to play Monaco”.

The four-time Grand Slam winner added: “But I look on my side. For me, now the most important is to recover, enjoy this moment, and I don’t have a lot of time to adjust, playing on clay, if I want to play Monaco.

“So let’s see. You know, for me, I just try to enjoy also these moments and not thinking too much. You know, I have always been someone who thinks in a very present moment. I don’t look in front, but I also don’t look backwards.

“Whatever comes, comes. I’m very happy about these couple of tournaments, and now a new chapter starts with the clay again. Let’s see how it goes.”

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Jannik Sinner has revealed that Darren Cahill made an “important move” that enabled him to remain a part of the Italian’s coaching set-up for another season.

Acclaimed coach Cahill, who previously worked with the likes of Andre Agassi, Lleyton Hewitt, and Simona Halep, initially joined Sinner’s team in 2023.

Working alongside Simone Vagnozzi, Cahill helped guide Sinner towards the top of the sport, with the Italian now a four-time Grand Slam champion and a former world No 1.

The Australian was initially set to leave Sinner’s team at the end of the 2025 season, though he has remained in the Italian’s entourage at the start of 2026.

Cahill, alongside Vagnozzi, most recently coached Sinner to the ‘Sunshine Double’, with the world No 2 triumphing in both Indian Wells and Miami in March — not dropping a single set at either tournament.

And, it now appears that Cahill will remain part of Sinner’s team for the rest of the season.

Speaking in a new interview with Digisport, Sinner revealed that the Australian would stay for “one more year” after a change of plans.

He said: “Darren is a very, very important part of our team.

“He keeps all the team very close, and with his experience, it’s important, especially in moments where things don’t go our way.

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“He’s important. We had a nice talk in the end of the year, last year, after the ATP Finals, and I tried to talk a bit in general.

“He made a move what went in my favour and it was an important move, that he can stay for one more year, which for me, it is very important in this moment and the stage where I am.

“So him, with the combination with Simone, it’s a great combination. They know each other very well, they trust each other very well. So I think it has been very good.”

After his impressive success in both Indian Wells and Miami, Sinner will look to continue his fine form across the clay-court swing.

The Italian is currently set to compete at the Masters 1000 events in Monte Carlo, Madrid, and Rome this spring, before the second Grand Slam event of the year at Roland Garros.

Sinner memorably lost last year’s Roland Garros final to Carlos Alcaraz in a five-set thriller, though he would complete the Career Grand Slam should he triumph in Paris this June.

His next tournament is set to be the Monte Carlo Masters, which starts on Sunday, April 5.

The 24-year-old potentially has the chance to regain his world No 1 ranking from Alcaraz, should results go his way at the Masters 1000 tournament.

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Iga Swiatek has made herself unavailable for selection for Poland’s upcoming Billie Jean King Cup qualifier against Ukraine.

The six-time Grand Slam winner is coming off a disappointing Sunshine Double as she was beaten in the quarter-final by Elina Svitolina and was then stunned by fellow Pole Magda Linette in the second round of the Miami Open.

Having started the North American hard-court swing at No 2 in the WTA Rankings with Aryna Sabalenka at the top, Swiatek’s poor run of form has seen her drop to No 4 with Elena Rybakina and Coco Gauff moving ahead of her.

On the back of her Miami exit, she announced that she had parted ways with her coach Wim Fissette with the search for a new mentor now officially underway.

The 24-year-old was initially expected to next be in action for seventh seeds Poland when they face Ukraine in the Billie Jean King Cup in Gliwice on 10-11 April, but she has decided not to play.

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In a post on social media, Swiatek wrote: “Today I want to share another decision. I will not be playing in the upcoming Billie Jean King Cup qualifying tournament in Gliwice. This is not an easy decision for me, as playing in Poland has always held and holds special significance for me and I know that many of you were looking forward to seeing me on the court.

“Recent times have been demanding for me, both in terms of sports and the changes happening around me. I feel that I need a moment to pause, organize certain things and focus on calm, quality work. I hope you understand.

“We have a great team – I am sure that @magdalinette will do a wonderful job leading the girls. I am keeping my fingers crossed for the entire squad: @lindaklimovicova, @katarzynakawapl, @majachwalinska, captain @dawidcelt and the whole team. I will be cheering for you with all my heart.

“Thank you for your support – it really means a lot to me.”

It is the second tournament that Swiatek has decided to skip so far this year, as she also withdrew from the Dubai Tennis Championships in February.

Legendary coach Rick Macci believes Swiatek’s latest schedule change will help her to be “firing” on the clay.

“Very smart the Polish Punisher is not playing the next event,” Macci – who coached both Serena Williams and Venus Williams – wrote on social media.

“Iga has been there done that. She has delivered the mail. She knows the drill She feels the temperature. She is a champion. She will dive in the deep end when she is ready and the Punisher will be firing and on dirt.”

The reigning Wimbledon champion’s next event is the Stuttgart Open on the clay at the Porsche-Arena with the WTA 500 event getting underway on 13 April.

She is a two-time champion in Stuttgart, having won the title in 2022 and 2023, but lost in the quarter-final against Jelena Ostapenko last year.

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Former Wimbledon champion Marion Bartoli believes Coco Gauff’s serve and forehand in the Miami Open final could prove a huge “positive” ahead of the impending clay-court swing.

Gauff was beaten 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 by world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka on Saturday afternoon, though there were still positives for the American to take despite her loss.

The 22-year-old was in the first Miami Open final of her career, having never previously made it past round four of the WTA 1000 event, while she was into her first final of 2026 following a difficult start to the season by her own high standards.

Gauff contested four straight three-set matches to reach the last four of the event, but produced one of her best performances of the year to thrash Karolina Muchova in the semi-final, before an encouraging display against Sabalenka.

The American’s run means she is back up to world No 3 in the WTA Rankings, and will now look to continue her positive form into the clay-court swing, which starts this week.

Speaking on Sky Sports following Saturday’s final, former world No 7 Bartoli stated that Gauff should look to bring key elements of her game from Miami into the next few months.

“She came up a little short, but the way she was able to find a way in the second set to steal a set was incredible,” said Bartoli.

“It was total dominance in the first set from Aryna, winning so much. It showed incredible mentality and heart, and that is why she [Gauff] has already won two Grand Slams. Because she is a tough competitor, with her heart, with her fight, with her backhand.

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“I loved the fact [on Saturday] she was using her slice serve a lot. That should be a pattern she is going to use on clay as well.

“She is the Roland Garros defending champion, but she can build momentum to include this, and the way she was able to hold on to that serve and forehand [on Saturday] was a positive she can take.”

Gauff is set to start her clay-court swing at the Women’s Stuttgart Open, a WTA 500 event which will take place from April 13-19.

The American will then likely compete at the WTA 1000 events in Madrid and Rome, having finished as the runner-up at both tournaments in 2025.

Gauff was beaten by Sabalenka in the Madrid Open final last May, before defeat to Jasmine Paolini in the Italian Open final a fortnight later.

However, she will enter Roland Garros as the reigning champion, having beaten world No 1 Sabalenka in a three-set final last June.

Roland Garros has traditionally been Gauff’s strongest major, having reached at least the quarter-final stage of the tournament every year since 2021 — and reaching a first final at the event back in 2022, where she fell to Iga Swiatek.

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Jannik Sinner has put the pressure firmly on Carlos Alcaraz in the battle for the No 1 spot in the rankings by winning the Sunshine Double.

Alcaraz has been top of the ATP Rankings since last November, but he will face an uphill battle to keep hold of the No 1 position at the Monte Carlo Masters following Sinner’s unblemished run during the North American hard-court swing.

The Spaniard had a 3,150-point lead at the start of the Indian Wells Open, but his Italian rival was always going to be able to close the gap as he had a “free hit” as he didn’t have any points to defend as he was banned 12 months ago.

With Alcaraz losing in the semi-final in Indian Wells and the third round in Miami, coupled with Sinner winning both tournaments, the lead is down to just 1,190 points.

While Sinner earned a maximum of 2,000 points, Alcaraz picked up only 40 points as he was defending 400 in California and earned the same amount after losing in the last four against Daniil Medvedev while he defended 10 points from 2025 in Miami, but earned 50 points.

What Is To Come

Up next is the Monte Carlo Masters with both in the main draw, but Sinner will once again have a leg up on his rival.

The Italian didn’t play on the red dirt in Monaco 12 months ago as he was still serving his three-month ban so he will once again not have any points to defend.

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Alcaraz, meanwhile, won the Monte Carlo event last year, so will drop 1,000 points at the start of the tournament and once that total is removed, he will be on 12,590 with Sinner on 12,400, putting the Spaniard ahead by a mere 190 points.

It means Alcaraz will remain top if he outperforms Sinner, but the Italian will move ahead of the six-time Grand Slam winner if he, for example, reaches the semi-final and the Spaniard loses in the quarter-final.

Form And Clay Performances

Sinner is also in better form as he didn’t drop serve once during his Sunshine Double, while he has now won 34 consecutive sets at ATP Masters 1000 level with his record starting at the 2025 Paris Masters.

Alcaraz, of course, started the year with back-to-back titles at the Australian Open and Qatar Open, but is 1-2 in his last three matches after his semi-final loss in Indian Wells and third-round defeat in Miami.

However, Alcaraz is the man to beat on clay as he was 22–1 last year, winning the Monte Carlo Masters, Italian Open and French Open while he also finished runner-up in Barcelona.

Sinner has won only one title on clay and that was in 2022 although he finished runner-up to Alcaraz in Rome and at Roland Garros last year in the two tournaments he did play on the red dirt.

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World No 1 Aryna Sabalenka capped off a dominant March by winning the Sunshine Double, and with it, she cemented her place at the top of the rankings while there was also good news for Coco Gauff and Hailey Baptiste after the Miami Open.

Sabalenka has become only the fifth woman to win the back-to-back Indian Wells Open and Miami Open with her latest title run coming on the back of a three-set win over Gauff in the final in Florida.

The four-time Grand Slam winner was the defending champion so she didn’t add any points to her tally as the WTA uses a rolling 52-week cumulative system, meaning players have to defend points from the corresponding period a year ago.

The Belarusian earned 1,000 points last year and dropped that at the start of the tournament, but then got the 1,000 points back by winning the title again.

She beat her closest challenger, Elena Rybakina with a dominant two-set win in the semi-finals, and that means she ends the North American hard-court swing with a 2,917-point lead over the Kazakh player.

Sabalenka started her 84th week at No 1 on Monday, which keeps her at No 11 on the all-time list, but she will likely pass Lindsay Davenport (98) in the coming months to move into the top 10.

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With 76 of those 84 weeks coming consecutively, she has moved ahead of Iga Swiatek for the longest consecutive streak as she is now tied with Chris Evert at No 11 on 76.

Evert, of course, also has a 113-week consecutive streak, while Sabalenka will likely move up a few more spots with her current run.

Although Gauff finished runner-up, she moved up one place with her run to the final while Iga Swiatek has dropped to No 4 after her shock second-round exit.

Swiatek will start the clay-court swing with a 1,000-point advantage over Jessica Pegula while the only other change in the top 10 sees Elina Svitolina and Jasmine Paolini swap places with the former now at No 7.

Dubai champion Karolina Muchova is on the cusp of a return to the top-10 as she earned her a three-place jump to No 11 after reaching the semi-final while rising star Iva Jovic is up one place to a new high of No 16.

Hailey Baptiste was the surprise package in Miami as she was the only unseeded player in the quarter-finals and she earned a 12-place surge to a new high of No 33.

Talia Gibson is also +12 to a new high of No 56 after reaching the round of 16 while Yulia Starodubtseva is +19 and up to No 89 after her run to the round of 32.

In terms of star names who dropped places, Emma Raducanu didn’t feature in Miami due to illness and she is down five places to No 28 while Alex Eala has slipped out of the top 40 as she is -16 to No 45 after losing in the round of 16.

Magda Linette may have stunned fellow Pole Swiatek, but she has dropped seven places to No 57.

American pair Ashlyn Krueger and Danielle Collins both reached the fourth round a year ago, but the former lost in the first round in the 2026 edition and -24 to No 103 while Collins didn’t feature and is -21 to No 120.

WTA Top 10 Live Rankings

1. Aryna Sabalenka – 11,025
2. Elena Rybakina Kazakhstan – 8,108
3. Coco Gauff United States – 7,278 (+1)
4. Iga Swiatek Poland – 7,263 (-1)
5. Jessica Pegula United States – 6,243
6. Amanda Anisimova United States – 6,180
7. Elina Svitolina Ukraine – 3,965 (+1)
8. Jasmine Paolini Italy – 3,907 (-1)
9. Victoria Mboko Canada – 3,531
10. Mirra Andreeva – 3,121
11. Karolina Muchova Czechia – 2,993 (+3)
12. Belinda Bencic Switzerland – 2,983
13. Ekaterina Alexandrova – 2,973 (-2)
14. Linda Noskova Czechia – 2,801 (-1)
15. Naomi Osaka Japan – 2,324
16. Iva Jovic United States – 2,105 (+1)
17. Clara Tauson Denmark – 2,040 (-1)
18. Madison Keys United States – 2,026
19. Diana Shnaider – 1,953
20. Elise Mertens Belgium – 1,936 (-1)

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Aryna Sabalenka says she is ‘super proud’ to have become the fifth woman to complete the Sunshine Double, after winning the Miami Open, and believes her mentality was key to a successful month.

The Belarusian defeated world No 4 Coco Gauff 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 to win back-to-back Miami titles and further solidify herself at the top of the women’s game.

Sabalenka looked dominant in the first set, claiming nearly 80% of her first serve points and also the majority of second-serve return points.

A late surge saw Gauff break to claim the second set, before – in typical fashion – the world No 1 responded immediately by breaking in the opening game of the decider.

From there, she did not face another break point and cruised to victory.

“My goal always been to put my name in the history, and I just did it,” exclaimed Sabalenka during her post-match press conference.

“It just sounds so unreal.

“I don’t know how I was able to achieve that, but I’m super proud right now. Of course, of course, super happy with this beautiful trophy.”

In claiming the Indian Wells and Miami Open titles, the Belarusian became just the fifth woman to complete the Sunshine Double – joining Iga Swiatek (2022), Victoria Azarenka (2016), Kim Clijsters (2005), and Steffi Graf (1994, 1996).

Overall, Sabalenka has won 23 of her 24 contested matches in 2026.

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Sabalenka attributes a high level of self-belief and a steadfast mindset to her ability to manage high-pressure situations on the biggest of stages.

“Well, it’s a deep one, and it’s going to sound super easy, but my mentality really going into this final, like there is no way I lose it,” shared the four-time Grand Slam champion.

“Trying to bring this tough mentality that I’ll be there fighting for every point, there is no way I’ll let anything get to me, and I’ll be staying focused, I’ll be fighting for every point, I’ll be trying to find solution if needed or I’ll be just, like, I’ll keep constantly remind myself how strong I am and that I got it.

“That’s been working really well, and it’s so easy but so tough at some point, like when you get emotional and then you forget everything.

“And in the last couple of finals, I have just been really strong inside and really positive mentally.

“And also, we did really great preparation. I worked so hard. So whenever I felt like doubting my ability, I was, like, bringing myself back and reminding myself, No, no, no, no, no. You’re strong enough to get this.”

After their latest clash, Sabalenka and Gauff are now tied at 6 match wins apiece, which encouraged a journalist to ask the former what part of the American’s game she most admires.

“Her movement is something else,” picked out Sabalenka.

“Going into matches against her, I know that there is always going to be an extra ball, and it’s all about stay focused and be ready for an extra ball to come back.

“The movement is something else, you know. I wish I could move, I mean, even like 70% from what she has would be enough for me (smiling).

“But, yeah, she’s incredible player and a fighter. It’s always challenging playing her, and I really enjoying this rivalry lately, and I hope she’ll stay consistent, and hopefully we’ll meet in many more finals.”

In addition to her on-court success this season, Sabalenka also got engaged during Indian Wells to her partner, Georgios Frangulis, and bought a puppy – Ash.

“Yeah, what a month,” she commented.

“Really tough to keep up with this month in my life: dog, engagement, Sunshine Double. Yeah, that sounds surreal, right?”

The world No 1 will next compete in the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix, which takes place from April 13 – 19.

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