Masters of the Clay: Ranking the Top Five Picks for the Italian Open 2024

The runner-up of the 2023 Italian Open is coming off with a promising run this season. Holger Rune has reached the quarterfinal in two of his last three runs in the Masters 1000 events this season, showing how versatile he is when it comes to playing against some of the best players in bigger tournaments. It cannot be denied that Rune is showing off a promising stretch this season, but is yet to make a leap into the top 10 of the ATP Rankings. As of the time of writing, Rune sits at the 12th spot with 3,245 points, just 200 points behind Alex de Minaur in the 11th spot and 400 points behind Grigor Dimitrov for the 10th spot.

Daniil Medvedev has been on fire this season, reaching the final twice in his last six tournaments played. Although he hasn’t bagged any title so far, it cannot be denied that the Russian star is in dire need of a win in the Italian Open to ensure that he gets a promising pace en route to the Roland-Garros. Medvedev has been playing mad in his past few games, beating one contender after another, and his mastery of the volley has made him a special talent to look out for this season. Who knows, maybe this will be his first tournament win in a long while that will help him tune up his big game in the coming French Open.

Now the world no. 2 for a reason, there’s no doubt that Jannik Sinner is one of the best young stars on the rise in the ATP Tour this year. Since his victory in the Australian Open, Sinner has been riding in a strong pace this season, making deep runs in the Masters 1000 events, even winning the Miami Open at that. Sinner is playing inspired tennis right now, and he even noted that his improvement in the game is what drives him more than the chase for the no. 1 spot. The Italian should be a heavy favorite to win in front of his home crowd in the coming tournament as well.

There’s been a lot of talk as to how Novak Djokovic has been on a decline in his games lately. So far, the Serbian star has played in just four tournaments with no titles to show for it. Everyone thinks he’s lightening his schedule load with a comfortable lead at the top of the ATP Rankings, but you can be sure that he is going to be ready as he aims to play in the Italian Open after skipping the Madrid Masters. The star has also made it a clear target that he’s going for the French Open in Roland-Garros, which just says a lot about his will to play more games and ensure that he will have a lasting legacy in the game.

Carlos Alcaraz made his return to the big stage in the Madrid Open after missing out on the Monte-Carlo Masters due to an injury. We all know how well he plays on clay surface, and there’s no reason for him not to be a favorite in the Italian Open now more than ever. While he has not made big strides to retain the world no. 2, Alcaraz is going to be fun to watch on the big stage as he seeks to reestablish his dominance in the ATP Tour with a campaign in the Italian Open, especially after being stunned by Fabian Marozsan in the early rounds last year – with the latter being the world no. 135 at the time.

World no. 5 Alexander Zverev remains on a stagnant rally this season so far with a couple of big runs in the Masters 1000 events. However, the German star is yet to come up with a title this year, which just shows the need for him to set up his big game in the Italian Open. So far, Zverev remains safe in the 5th spot, but a few more wins by Casper Ruud, who is actively on the rise with a +455 in the standings after winning the Barcelona Open, can shake up his status on the rankings. This is why Zverev will come in as a contender who seeks to up his spot on the chase for the Race to Turin as well.

Stefanos Tsitsipas has been on a massive tear this season with a sudden breath of life in his games. Mostly focusing on the doubles, it does seem that the Greek star has what it takes to win big even against some of the best stars in the game. His promising victory in the Monte-Carlo Masters has set the tone for his pace so far, and he is entering the Italian Open coming off with a strong showing in the Madrid Open as well, which makes him an instant favorite to win in the tournament. It cannot be denied that he will be in contention against some of the best stars who will be contending for the Italian Open now more than ever.