Lehecka forced to retire, Auger-Aliassime in the final!

The end of the tournament has seen a steady stream of forfeits and withdrawals. After Medvedev's withdrawal and Sinner's forfeit, this time it was Lehecka who dropped out in Madrid. With a back injury, Nadal's winner was unable to complete his match, leaving Auger-Aliassime to advance to the final (3-3 ab.).

Although the Canadian's tennis was back to its very best, he benefited from some very favourable circumstances. In the third round, Félix had already qualified for the last 16 following the withdrawal of Jakub Mensik, who heroically defeated Grigor Dimitrov (6-1, 1-0 ab.). Jannik Sinner then withdrew before the start of their quarter-final duel. Finally, Jiri Lehecka also withdrew on Friday. Such a cascade of withdrawals is surprising, especially when it concerns so many players.

This succession of physical ailments among the world's top 50 players raises questions. At a time when the ATP is continuing to slow down surfaces to lengthen matches and increase the duration of major tournaments, with the Masters 1000 now played over 12 days, this succession of withdrawals and forfeits calls into question the effectiveness of the reforms put in place. In addition to these demanding schedules, there are the aptly-named night sessions, which can finish very late. What room is left for players to recover?

Be that as it may, Felix Auger-Aliassime will attempt to win a Masters 1000 title for the first time in his career this Sunday against the sparkling Andrey Rublev.