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The Italian Open is the last big tournament in the lead-up to the French Open. With the tournament being a combined WTA and ATP event, players will head to Rome to continue their clay season.
Roger Federer, Daniil Medvedev, Matteo Berrettini and the Williams sisters are a few of the high-profile names missing in action this time around. Rafael Nadal and Iga Swiatek are back at the Foro Italico to defend their crowns from last year.
The Spaniard is chasing a record-breaking 11th title at the Italian Open, while Swiatek is seeking her fifth consecutive title of the season. World No. 1 Novak Djokovic, a five-time champion in Rome, will be aiming to continue his clay preparations as his Roland Garros title defense is on the horizon.
On the women's side, all players from the top-30 are competing, with the exception of 2021 Roland Garros champion Barbora Krejcikova, who's injured, and Elina Svitolina, who's on a break from tennis. There are plenty of familiar faces on the men's side as well, with most of the big names and seasoned veterans being accounted for.
However, there are a few players who are set to compete in Rome for the first time this year. Some have only risen to the top recently, while injuries have kept others from participating previously. Here are five players who're set to make their debut at the Italian Open this year.
#5 - Paula Badosa
Paula Badosa has become one of the top players in the women's game over the last year. She won her maiden WTA 1000 title at the Indian Wells Open last year and reached a career-high ranking of World No. 2 a couple of weeks ago. The Spaniard has accomplished this without competing in one of the biggest tournaments on the WTA tour, the Italian Open.
Badosa enjoyed considerable success during the clay season last year, reaching the semifinals of the Charleston Open and the Madrid Open. However, she didn't compete in Rome, opting to play the Serbia Open instead, where she won the title against Ana Konjuh in the final.
After last week's second-round loss to Simona Halep in Madrid, this will be her last chance to fine tune her preparations heading into Roland Garros.
#4 - Bianca Andreescu
The incredibly talented yet often injured Bianca Andreescu is set to compete at the Italian Open for the first time this year. During her breakout season in 2019, she participated in only one tournament on clay, the French Open, where she withdrew prior to her second-round match due to a shoulder injury. The Canadian didn't play at all in 2020.
Andreescu's 2021 season was also interrupted by physical issues. During the clay season, she only competed at the Strasbourg Open, where she reached the quarterfinals and Roland Garros, where she lost in the first round. She last played at Indian Wells in October and took a break from the sport to preserve her mental well-being, skipping the first few months of 2022.
Andreescu returned to action at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in April, losing in the second round to Aryna Sabalenka. She then reached the third round in her debut at the Madrid Open this week, beating top-10 opponent Danielle Collins along the way and is now set to make her debut in Rome as well.
#3 - Sebastian Korda
Sebastian Korda is one of the finest young talents on the ATP tour. With some solid results under his belt this season, his ranking is high enough for him to compete in all the big tournaments in the calendar. The Italian Open is one of the few big events he hasn't competed in so far and the American is set to debut at the tournament next week.
Korda has scored some big wins during this year's clay season. He upset the in-form Carlos Alcaraz in the second round of the Monte-Carlo Masters. He scored his third win over a top-10 player by defeating Felix Auger-Aliassime in the quarterfinals of the Estoril Open. He also won against World No. 17 Reilly Opelka in the first round of the Madrid Open, but lost to Lorenzo Musetti in the second round.
Korda will be unseeded at the Italian Open, but he's a dangerous player who could cause an early upset as he has a few times this season and could have a deep run in the tournament.
#2 - Emma Raducanu
Emma Raducanu rose to global superstardom following her historic win at the 2021 US Open as a qualifier. This year's clay season is the first time the teenager has competed in WTA tournaments on the surface. After making her debut at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix and the Madrid Open, she's set to debut at the Italian Open as well.
After an underwhelming start to the season, Raducanu seems to have found her footing on clay. Despite her relative inexperience on the surface, she has been playing quite well, posing a tough challenge for Iga Swiatek in Stuttgart a few weeks ago. With more match play, she could be a legitimate threat to win tournaments on the surface.
The Brit reached the quarterfinals in Stuttgart and the third round in Madrid. She's seeded 10th in the Italian Open and starts her campaign against fellow debutant and US Open champion Bianca Andreescu in the first round.
#1 - Carlos Alcaraz
It's been quite a ride for Carlos Alcaraz as he has quickly ascended to the top of the men's game. Touted as a prodigy since childhood, he has delivered on that promise in an incredible manner. Around this time last year, the teenager was ranked outside the top 100. He's currently in the top-10, having won the biggest title of his career at the Miami Open in March.
Alcaraz will finally play at the Italian Open for the first time this year. He enters the tournaments as one of the top contenders to win the title.
Alcaraz lost early at the Monte-Carlo Masters to Korda, but rebounded in style by winning the Barcelona Open, beating the likes of Stefanos Tsitsipas, Alex de Minaur and Pablo Carreno Busta along the way. He defeated his idol Rafael Nadal in three sets to reach the Madrid Open semifinals. He's set to take on another legend of the sport, Novak Djokovic, for a spot in the final on Saturday.
Given Alcaraz's recent form, he's could make a splash at the Italian Open on his debut.
