5 players who will miss 2023 Monte-Carlo Masters, ft. Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal

The clay swing continues at the 2023 Monte-Carlo Masters, which will be held from April 9-16. It is the season's third Masters 1000 tournament and the first to be played on the red dirt.

World No. 1 Novak Djokovic returns to action after sitting out the Indian Wells Masters and the Miami Open. The Serb was ineligible to compete there due to the vaccine mandate in the United States. A two-time champion in Monte-Carlo, he's the favorite to claim yet another title here.

Daniil Medvedev has been the most in-form player over the last couple of months. He claimed four titles and finished as the runner-up at Indian Wells. While his disdain for clay is no secret, a semifinal finish at the 2019 Monte-Carlo Masters remains one of his best results on the surface.

Two-time defending champion Stefanos Tsitsipas is also in the mix, along with Casper Ruud, Jannik Sinner, Holger Rune and Taylor Fritz.

While plenty of top players are in action, some of the biggest names are sidelined for various reasons. Here's a look at five players who won't be competing in the Monte-Carlo Masters this year:

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#5 Gael Monfils

Gael Monfils is a former finalist at the Monte-Carlo Masters.

Gael Monfils returned to action just last month at the Indian Wells Masters following an extended injury hiatus. He then sustained another injury while competing at the Miami Open, forcing him to retire during his first-round contest against Ugo Humbert.

Initially, the Frenchman seemed optimistic about competing here following his setback in Miami. However, Monfils has now withdrawn from the Monte-Carlo Masters as well, with no further updates regarding his comeback.

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#4 Denis Shapovalov

Denis Shapovalov at the 2023 Miami Open.

Denis Shapovalov is another big name that won't be participating in this year's Monte-Carlo Masters. While the Canadian didn't divulge any specific reason and doesn't seem to be injured, his absence is likely due to a scheduling choice.

Shapovalov has competed here just twice in his career, failing to make it past the first-round during his two appearances. This marks the third consecutive year that he's missed the tournament.

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#3 Felix Auger-Aliassime

Felix Auger-Aliassime at the 2023 Miami Open.

World No. 7 Felix Auger-Aliassime has pulled out of the Monte-Carlo Masters in order to recover from a knee injury. He stated that the discomfort was already there for a while and now he has opted to take some time off to take care of it.

The young Canadian hasn't performed too well in Monte Carlo in his career. He has won just one match at the venue, with his solitary victory coming against Juan Ignacio Londero back in 2019. Auger-Aliassime now intends to commence his clay season at the Madrid Open.

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#2 Carlos Alcaraz

Carlos Alcaraz at the 2023 Miami Open.

Carlos Alcaraz was forced to skip the start of the season, including the Australian Open, due to an injury. He made a successful return to the tour by winning the Argentina Open in February. The following week, the teenager came quite close to defending his Rio Open title, but lost to Cameron Norrie in the final.

Alcaraz then went on to win the Indian Wells Masters without dropping a set. However, his title defense at the Miami Open came to an end in the semifinals against Jannik Sinner.

Following the conclusion of his campaign in Miami, the Spaniard returned home. Alcaraz visited a doctor for some physical discomfort, which turned out to be post-traumatic arthritis in his left hand and muscular discomfort in the spine.

The former World No. 1 has now decided to miss the Monte-Carlo Masters to recover from his latest injury setback. The last few months have been especially tough for Alcaraz, with one physical issue after another halting his momentum.

For now, he's still on the entry list for next week's Barcelona Open.

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#1 Rafael Nadal

Rafael Nadal is a 11-time champion at the Monte-Carlo Masters.

Rafael Nadal, the most successful player in the history of the Monte-Carlo Masters, won't be competing this time around. The Spaniard still hasn't recovered from an injury sustained during the Australian Open at the start of the season.

Nadal initially intended on participating here, but decided against it as he wasn't ready to compete at the highest level just yet. In his statement, the 36-year-old remained hopeful that his comeback will be sooner rather than later.

With a record 11 titles, including eight in a row, Nadal has been a dominant force at the Monte-Carlo Masters throughout his career. His absence will be sorely felt as fans continue to eagerly await the return of the "King of Clay."