All You Need to Know About Players Participating at Miami Open 2023 and Novak Djokovic’s Status

Published 04/18/2023, 4:17 PM EDT

The much-awaited Miami Open has begun. The hard court series continues with the second ATP Masters in the US. The hard court event will take place in the Hard Rock Stadium, which will surely become more crowded as the event progresses. Many exciting matchups have been made and the hype surrounding the matches is at an all-time high. The draws to the Masters event have been made and people have already placed their bets on which player will go the distance.

The Miami Open was first held in 1985, founded by former player Butch Buchholz. Buchholz approached ATP and WTA in order to create a tournament which would be known as the “Winter Wimbledon”. The tour would become a part of the ‘Sunshine Double’ along with Indian Wells Masters.

Players in the Miami Open

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The draws and the seeds to the tour are live. Carlos Alcaraz, winner of Indian Wells and current rank 1, is the top seed. Stefanos Tsitsipas, Casper Ruud, Daniil Medvedev and Felix Auger-Aliassime follow Alcaraz in the top five seeds for the ATP. All the top 32 seeds have received a ‘Bye’, which means they will automatically advance to round two.

Currently, the two most likely players to triumph are Carlos Alcaraz and Daniil Medvedev. Alcaraz won the Indian Wells Masters by defeating the Russian star in the final. Subsequently, he has re-attained rank 1 in the ATP rankings.

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Iga Swiatek is the number one seed in the women’s category. Following her are Aryna Sabalenka, Jessica Pegula, Ons Jabeur and Caroline Garcia. The Indian Wells winner, Elena Rybakina, is seeded 10. Similar to the ATP version, the top 32 seeds will receive a ‘bye’ and advance to round two.

One would want to bet all their money on Iga Swiatek as she is currently at the top of the WTA rankings. However, Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina have showed that they are serious contenders as well. Sabalenka won the Australian Open and Rybakina stands tall as the Indian Wells winner.

As for Doubles, the Indian Wells winners and current number 6 Rohan Bopanna and Matthew Ebden, have a good chance of taking down the competition. But another pair that could take the cake are the Dubai Tennis Championships winners, Maxime Cressy and Fabrice Martin.

For the WTA version, one could look forward to Kateřina Siniaková and Barbora Krejčíková, who recently won the Indian Wells Masters. Veronika Kudermetova and Liudmila Samsonova, who won in Dubai, are also one of the favorites.

Novak Djokovic’s participation

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Novak Djokovic will unfortunately miss the Miami Open. The Serb missed the Indian Wells Masters due to being unvaccinated. For the same reason, he has withdrawn from the Miami Open to not take up a spot in the draw. The Djoker will most likely return to tour in Monte Carlo during the clay court swing.

Although he and his team asked for an exemption, Djokovic was denied entry into the country for the ‘Sunshine Double’ which can damage his rank. But the Serb did receive a fair share of support from several politicians in the US.

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Several US senators, including Florida governor Ron DeSantis, have come forward in his support to allow him into the country for the ‘Sunshine Double’. Additionally, players such as John Isner and Reilly Opelka have also openly stated their disdain for their country’s stringent policy.

Next year, Djokovic will be back in the two tournaments and would be looking forward to claiming the titles.

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Ripunjay is a Tennis writer with an unwavering passion for the sport and a deep admiration for Roger Federer. He specializes in providing in-depth coverage of everything related to the 'Swiss Maestro.' Ripunjay's love for tennis is evident in the quality of his writing, which is characterized by its clarity, depth, and insightful analysis.

Edited by:

Tony Thomas

All You Need to Know About Players Participating at Miami Open 2023 and Novak Djokovic’s Status

Players in the Miami Open

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Novak Djokovic’s participation