The Florida Masters 1000 (March 24 to April 4) made history by becoming the first tournament in this category for ... 17 years and the Paris-Bercy Masters 1000 to compete without Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic.
Federer, holder of the 2019 title - there was no edition in 2020 due to the health crisis - had thrown in the towel, followed by Rafael Nadal, injured in the back and especially already in preparation for the season on his soil battered darling.
Then it was Novak Djokovic's turn to retract last Friday.
The world number one wishing to "devote himself to his family".
In total, 5 top 10 members (the Big Three plus Dominic Thiem, and Matteo Berrettini) are not in Florida.
More generally 32 players who are members of the top 100 shun Miami!
Almost never seen before for a Masters 1000, clearly at a discount, which, it should be noted, will compete in front of spectators, at only 20% of the stadium's usual capacity.
They will not be in Miami ...
Djokovic
Nadal
Thiem
Federer
Berrettini
Monfils
Carreno Busta
Wawrinka
Coric
Ruud
Krajinovic
Millman
Ramos
Pella
Gasquet
Kyrgios
Davidovich
Andujar
Edmund
Tsonga
Simon
Cuevas
️etc.
pic.twitter.com/bornmYmib4
- Game, Set and Maths (@JeuSetMaths) March 21, 2021
The reasons for this disaffection?
First (and foremost) for the plummeting prize money.
This has thus been reduced by 65.65% compared to the last edition.
It goes from 16.7 to 3.34 million dollars ... Roger Federer and Ashleigh Barty, both winners of the 2019 edition, had each pocketed $ 1.354 million.
This year, the male and female winners will receive $ 300,110, more than four times less.
The Miami Masters 1000 is becoming almost a trivial tournament on the circuit.
No wonder some people preferred to stay in Europe to prepare for the clay-court season and to avoid a new health bubble.
This weariness of health bubbles is clearly winning over the majority of players in the circuit.
It is also for this reason that many did not make the trip to the United States.
While the players will not be quarantined like at the Australian Open, they were tested on arrival and then isolated themselves in their hotel room until they received a negative result.
These same participants will have to complete a septaine on their return.
What to cool some ...
The new generation is here
If the weight of the absentees will be felt, most of the players in shape of the moment have still made the trip.
In this context, Daniil Medvedev, new world number 2 and recent winner of the ATP 250 in Marseille is one of the potential winners.
Just like his compatriot, Andrey Rublev, Stefanos Tsitsipas or Alexander Zverev, who has just won the 14th title of his career in Acapulco, beating in the final… Tsitsipas.
The Greek, still looking for a first Masters 1000 trophy after two lost finals, has a great card to play.
On the French side, on the other hand, ambitions seem limited.
It must be said that few Tricolores are present in the table after the packages of Tsonga, Monfils Gasquet, Simon or even Moutet ... Ugo Humbert (Seed number 20), Adrian Mannarino (25), Pierre Hugues Herbert or even Hugo Gaston, invited by the organizers, will try to shine.
But it is the Frenchman in the form of the moment Jérémy Chardy, that could come a possible nice surprise.
We will bet less on Benoît Paire, who despite his blues and his current fed up, still made the trip.
The best players at the rendezvous
In women, much fewer forfeits on the other hand for the second WTA 1000 of the season.
Winner of the last two Majors, the US Open and the Australian Open, Noami Osaka is a favorite, even if she has never reached the knockout stages in Miami, in four participations… The Czech Karolina Pliskova, l American Sofia Kenin and Canadian Bianca Andreescu are in Florida.
Just like the defending champion Ashleigh Barty, the Ukrainian Elina Svitolina or the Romanian Simona Halep.
Only the living American legend Serena Williams is missing due to a recent “oral surgery” operation.
Four French players join the big picture.
Fiona Ferro, Alizé Cornet, Kristina Mladenovic and Caroline Garcia, who will have a lot to do in this tough context.
It must be said that unlike the men's circuit, the WTA circuit has fewer tournaments to offer in this context of a pandemic.
It would therefore have been frowned upon by the world's elite of women's tennis to skip the Florida meeting.
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