The organizers of the Moselle Open are facing a real massacre at the start of the week. Many players have withdrawn from the Metz tournament, like the French Ugo Humbert and Arthur Cazaux. The Dane Holger Rune is also among those absent at the last minute.
It's a nightmarish Monday for the organizers of the Moselle Open. The Metz tournament, ranked ATP 250, is facing a series of withdrawals in the men's singles table. In total, four players announced their withdrawal during the day: Facundo Diaz Acosta, Arthur Cazaux, Arthur Rinderknech and the finalist of the Paris-Bercy Masters 1000, Ugo Humbert.
The latter, local to the stage and defending champion, confided after his final lost on Sunday against Alexander Zverev that he was starting to feel significant physical and mental fatigue at the end of the season: “I really want to play in Metz, but I have had to take anti-inflammatories all week for persistent back pain since my arrival. If I don't feel ready, I will probably withdraw. I will have to check in with my team. I have to stop thinking that I'm superhuman: I'm not a robot. These are weeks that require a lot mentally. This time, I'm going to try to be reasonable.
Khachanov, Mpetshi Perricard and Rune also absent
Added to these last minute absences are those of the Russian Karen Khachanov and the French Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, announced earlier in the week. Both, after an intense month of October with each a title (ATP 250 in Almaty for Khachanov and ATP 500 in Basel for Mpetshi Perricard), chose to end their season early to preserve their positive dynamic and regenerate. in view of next year.
Another weight loss is that of the Dane Holger Rune, seeded number 4. Semi-finalist at the Rolex Paris Masters, Rune hoped to gain points in Metz to strengthen his chances of qualifying for the Turin Masters, where the eight best will meet players of the season. However, his semi-final defeat to Alexander Zverev compromised this goal. Other players also announced their withdrawal before the start of the tournament, including Félix Auger-Aliassime, Sebastian Korda, Nicolás Jarry, Jaume Munar, Matteo Berrettini and Aleksandar Kovacevic, bringing the total number of withdrawals to thirteen.
The delay of the tournament in question…
The move of the tournament to November, implemented last year, now raises questions among the spectators present at the Metz Arena. Usually scheduled for September since its launch in 2003, the Moselle Open had requested this change of date from the ATP to avoid direct competition from the Laver Cup and attract more players from the top 20, taking advantage of the dynamics of the race for Masters. But in an ATP calendar already criticized for its intensity and the high number of matches, scheduling the Moselle Open during the last week of the season ultimately seems penalizing.
Despite these numerous absences, the tournament still retains some big names to delight the spectators: Casper Ruud, Andrey Rublev and Grigor Dimitrov remain in the running for this edition.
