Hurkacz Enters Turin Challenger Ahead of Roland Garros
Absent from the ATP tour since his third-round defeat at the Indian Wells Masters 1000 against Alex De Minaur (6-4, 6-0), Hubert Hurkacz, who has dropped to 24th in the world rankings, is set to make his return to competition in Madrid.
The Polish player, who has been dealing with a back injury, received a first-round bye as a seeded player in the Spanish capital and will face either Marin Cilic or Benjamin Bonzi in his opening match.
Having withdrawn from Monte-Carlo, Hurkacz is eager to regain his rhythm on clay, with time running short as the Roland Garros tournament approaches and is set to begin in a month in Paris.
After Madrid, he will compete in the Rome Masters 1000, but he has also added two warm-up tournaments on clay before participating in the season’s second Grand Slam.
Indeed, the two-time Masters 1000 champion has entered the Turin Challenger, which will take place from May 13 to 18, overlapping with the second week of the Rome tournament. The former world No. 6 is expected to participate in the Piedmont event as the top seed.
It’s worth noting that other players are also expected to compete in the Italian city, including Lorenzo Sonego, Luciano Darderi, Tomas Martin Etcheverry, Roberto Carballes Baena, and Mariano Navone.
A week later, the Pole is also likely to compete in the ATP 250 tournament in Geneva before heading to Paris for Roland Garros. Last year, Hurkacz fell in the round of 16 at Porte d'Auteuil, losing in three sets to Grigor Dimitrov.
