Italian Open Draw 2023
Djokovic returns to action at the 2023 Internazionali BNL d'Italia. Can he defend his title?
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)
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.
First?
Alcaraz might be a bit tired, and pehaps not extremely motivated to effort the distance this time. So I might put my money on Djoko, if in form. But I would love and prefer several others, among them Rublev, Korda, Musetti, Sinner, even Dusan Lajovic (one-back-handed competent “underdog”)
I will choose Alcaraz but acknowledge Muser’s point too. Carlos wants to win but most of all wants to be prepared for the French open. Quite a battle ahead for sure.