Novak Djokovic confirmed for Italian Open return in Rome after injury absence

Djokovic withdrew from the Madrid Open last month, saying he was âœstill nursing an injuryâ, and had indicated he would make a late decision on whether to compete in Rome. He has now confirmed his participation at the final ATP Masters 1000 event before the French Open.

The Serbian has been seeded third for the tournament, amid the continued absence of injured World No 2 Carlos Alcaraz.

Djokovic has been placed in the bottom half of the draw alongside second seed Alexander Zverev. He is scheduled to open his campaign against Marton Fucsovics, provided the Hungarian defeats a qualifier in his opening match. Djokovic leads their head-to-head record 6-0.

A potential route through the tournament could see Djokovic face Lorenzo Musetti in the quarter-finals, with Zverev a possible semi-final opponent.

In the same half of the draw, Zverev begins his campaign following his defeat to Jannik Sinner in the Madrid Open final. He could face Alexander Blockx in the third round, with Alex de Minaur and Hubert Hurkacz also among his potential opponents in the later stages.

Top seed Jannik Sinner enters the tournament in strong form after winning the Madrid Open and is aiming for a sixth consecutive ATP Masters 1000 title. He is projected to face Alex Michelsen in his opening match, with Matteo Berrettini a possible third-round opponent. Czech player Jakub Mensik is another potential opponent in Sinner's section.

Ben Shelton, Daniil Medvedev and Felix Auger-Aliassime are also in Sinner's half of the draw, with Sinner potentially meeting Shelton in the quarter-finals.

Sinner will compete on home soil and is expected to receive a rapturous welcome as Italian fans prepare for his return to Rome.

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