Novak Djokovic’s return to the ATP Tour has been confirmed, as he was included in the draw for the Italian Open and if he can plot a route to the final in Rome, Jannik Sinner may be lying in wait.
Djokovic pulled out of the Madrid Open last month after admitting he was ‘still nursing an injury’ and he suggested he would make a late decision on whether to compete in Rome.
If he was not ready to return for the final ATP Masters 1000 event prior to the French Open, Djokovic would not have had any competitive clay court practice heading into the second Grand Slam of 2026.
Now the Serbian legend has ended doubts over his next month after being named as the No 3 seed for the Rome tournament in the absence of the injured Carlos Alcaraz.
Djokovic has been placed in the bottom half of the draw that is headed by No 2 seed Alexander Zverev and he will face Marton Fucsovics in his opening match, if the Hungarian comes through his opener against a qualifier.
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It should be a comfortable start for Djokovic, who has a 6-0 winning record in his previous meetings with Fucsovics.
A quarterfinal against Italian favourite Lorenzo Musetti could be on Djokovic’s agenda, with Alexander Zverev a possible semi-final opponent.
However, Djokovic’s form in ATP Tour events has not been too impressive in recent years, with the player who will toast his 38th birthday this month openly admitting his desire to compete in regular tour events has waned at this phase of his career.
Elsewhere in the draw, Zverev will look to bounce back from his hammering at the hands of Jannik Sinner in the Madrid Open final on Sunday with what appears to be a tricky draw, with a rematch against Belgium’s Alexander Blockx possible in the third round.
Alex de Minaur is also in Zverev’s quarter of the draw, with the dangerous Hubert Hurkacz a potential opponent in the fourth round.
The seemingly unstoppable Sinner will look to win a sixth successive ATP Masters 1000 tournament as he continues his march at the top of the men’s game and he will receive a hero’s welcome from Italian fans this week.
He could face Alex Michelsen in his opening match and there is the tantalising prospect of an all-Italian showdown with Matteo Berrettini in round three, although a clash with Czech seed Jakub Mensik is more likely.
France’s Arthur Fils is in Sinner’s section, but that match-up would not concern the form player in men’s tennis as he beat him comfortably on his way to the Madrid title.
Ben Shelton is a possible quarter-final opponent for Sinner if the American gets that far, with Daniil Medvedev and Felix Auger-Aliassime also in Sinner’s top half.
In what is likely to be a week of celebration for Italian tennis fans as they pay homage to their national hero, the challenge for every other player in the men’s draw is to stop the player who has separated himself from the pack by a wide margin in the absence of his great rival Alcaraz.
The post ATP Italian Open draw: Novak Djokovic learns his fate as he returns for Jannik Sinner’s homecoming appeared first on Tennis365.
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