The 2023 Italian Open draw is out, and like Madrid, there’s no Rafael Nadal, but defending champion Novak Djokovic returns to action.
Djokovic enters the draw as the top seed, but he won’t be able to maintain his spot at the top of the rankings, with Carlos Alcaraz hot on his heels needing to play just one match to usurp the Serb.
Djokovic skipped Madrid after struggling with an elbow issue in Monte Carlo and Banja Luka, but he’s been practising in Marbella, seemingly without issue.
You can see the tournament info, seeds and full draw below.
Tournament Info
Name: Internazionali BNL d’Italia / Italian Open / Rome Masters
Dates: 10th – 21st May 2023
Surface: Clay
Draw: Singles 96 / Doubles 32
Category: ATP Masters 1000
Total Prize Money: €7,705,780
Total Financial Commitment: €8,637,966 (see FAQ)
Italian Open 2023 Seeds
Novak Djokovic
Carlos Alcaraz
Daniil Medvedev
Casper Ruud
Stefanos Tsitsipas
Andrey Rublev
Holger Rune
Jannik Sinner
Taylor Fritz
Felix Auger-Aliassime
Karen Khachanov
Frances Tiafoe
Cameron Norrie
Hubert Hurkacz
Borna Coric
Tommy Paul
Alex de Minaur
Lorenzo Musetti
Alexander Zverev
Daniel Evans
Roberto Bautista Agut
Sebastian Korda
Botic van de Zandschulp
Francisco Cerundolo
Yoshihito Nishioka
Grigor Dimitrov
Alejandro Davidovich Fokina
Ben Shelton
Tallon Griekspoor
Miomir Kecmanovic
Bernabe Zapata Miralles
Jiri Lehecka
2023 Italian Open Draw
Top Half
Novak Djokovic (1) vs Bye
Luca Van Assche vs Tomas Martin Etcheverry
Ilya Ivashka vs Stan Wawrinka
Bye vs Grigor Dimitrov (26)
Alex de Minaur (17) vs Bye
Filip Krajinovic vs Marton Fucsovics
Kyle Edmund (PR) vs Alexandre Muller (Q)
Bye vs Cameron Norrie (13)
Felix Auger-Aliassime (10) vs Bye
Alexei Popyrin (Q) vs Christopher O’Connell
Roman Safiullin (Q) vs Marcos Giron
Bye vs Sebastian Korda (22)
Miomir Kecmanovic (30) vs Bye
Fabio Fognini (WC) vs Andy Murray
Juan Manuel Cerundolo (Q) vs Arthur Fils (Q)
Bye vs Holger Rune (7)
Casper Ruud (4) vs Bye
Flavio Cobolli (Q) vs Arthur Rinderknech
Pedro Martinez (Q) vs Alexander Bublik
Bye vs Ben Shelton (28)
Botic van de Zandschulp (23) vs Bye
Constant Lestienne vs Laslo Djere
Pedro Cachin vs Cristian Garin
Bye vs Tommy Paul (16)
Karen Khachanov (11) vs Bye
Brandon Nakashima vs Gregoire Barrere
Richard Gasquet vs Yibing Wu
Bye vs Francisco Cerundolo (24)
Tallon Griekspoor (29) vs Bye
Sebastian Baez vs Juan Pablo Varillas
Jaume Munar vs Thanasi Kokkinkakis (Q)
Bye vs Jannik Sinner (8)
Bottom Half
Andrey Rublev (6) vs Bye
Stefano Napolitano (Q) vs Alex Molcan
Guido Pella (PR) vs Maxime Cressy
Bye vs Alejandro Davidovich Fokina (27)
Roberto Bautista Agut (21) vs Bye
Marco Cecchinato vs Mackenzie McDonald
Nicolas Jarry vs Yannick Hanfmann (Q)
Bye vs Taylor Fritz (9)
Hubert Hurkacz (14) vs Bye
Quentin Halys vs J.J. Wolf
Luca Nardi (WC) vs David Goffin
Bye vs Alexander Zverev (19)
Bernabe Zapata Miralles (31) vs Bye
Marc-Andrea Huesler vs Jason Kubler
Ugo Humbert vs Emil Ruusuvuori
Bye vs Daniil Medvedev (3)
Stefanos Tsitsipas (5) vs Bye
Dusan Lajovic vs Nuno Borges
Lorenzo Sonego vs Jeremy Chardy (PR)
Bye vs Yoshihito Nishioka (25
Lorenzo Musetti (18) vs Bye
Matteo Arnaldi (WC) vs Diego Schwartzman
Giulio Zeppieri (WC) vs Daniel Altmaier (Q)
Bye vs Frances Tiafoe (12)
Borna Coric (15) vs Bye
Adrian Mannarino vs Thiago Monteiro
Hugo Dellien (PR) vs Roberto Carballes Baena
Bye vs Daniel Evans (20)
Jiri Lehecka (32) vs Bye
Corentin Moutet vs Fabian Marozsan (Q)
Albert Ramos-Vinolas vs Francesco Passaro (WC)
Bye vs Carlos Alcaraz (2)
Full PDF Printable draw.
Thoughts on the Draw
Djokovic enters Rome as the top speed, and he has a potentially tricky opening match, facing either Luca Van Assche or Tomas Martin Etcheverry.
Both players have shown form this season, with the latter making two clay court finals in Santiago and Houston, while Van Assche gave Novak plenty to think about in Banja Luka, with the Serb needing three sets to see him off.
Dimitrov or Wawrinka are also in this section and could meet Novak in the third round. Also in this quarter sit Holger Rune, Felix Auger-Aliassime, Cam Norrie and Seb Korda.
In the other quarter of the top half, Casper Ruud is the fourth seed, and he’s joined by Jannik Sinner, who will be looking to improve his quarter-final appearance at the Foro Italico from last year.
In the bottom half of the draw, second seed Carlos Alcaraz is bidding to win his third clay court title on the spin after landing titles in Barcelona and Madrid. The Spaniard will open his tournament against either Francesco Passaro or Spaniard Albert Ramos-Vinolas and
Tsitsipas is also in this quarter, along with home favourite Lorenzo Musetti, but from what I’ve seen so far this year, Alcaraz’s level is much higher than any of the competition this half can bring.
Daniil Medvedev is the third seed on the other side of Alcaraz’s half, and he could meet Andrey Rublev in the quarter-final. However, he doesn’t have an easy opening match either, with either Ugo Humbert or Finland’s Emil Ruusuvuori his opposition.
Interesting First-Round Matches
Fabio Fognini (WC) vs Andy Murray
Ilya Ivashka vs Stan Wawrinka
Luca Van Assche vs Tomas Martin Etcheverry
Who is your pick for the title? Let me know in the comments.