Juan Martin del Potro will not play at Roland Garros later this month, but his fans shouldn’t despair too much; he’s not missing the tournament because of any lingering or new injury. Del Potro announced Thursday that he’s feeling great but that his comeback will best be served by missing the season’s clay-court Grand Slam.

“We decided that the smartest move is to start my preparation for the grass season,” del Potro said on social media. “The list of tournaments is yet to be confirmed, but I hope to play as much as possible.”

This would have been the first time del Potro has played several consecutive tournaments since coming back earlier this year after missing 11 months because of surgery on his left wrist. The 27 year old played at the Delray Beach Open in mid-February and took a few weeks off from matches before playing in Indian Wells and Miami in March. About a month later, del Potro slid on the clay in Munich and Madrid.

The right-hander has enjoyed deep runs at Roland Garros. He’s played there six times and his best result was the semi-finals (2009, l. to Federer). Del Potro last played there in 2012.

Fans who will be in Paris in a couple weeks should return next year for a chance to catch del Potro. “Sorry for my fans at Roland Garros, I am going to miss you one more year,” he said. “I’ll see you in 2017!”

There are 11 seeds in third round action on Thursday at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia, led by the top six of Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray, Roger Federer, Stan Wawrinka, Rafael Nadal and Kei Nishikori. The first five players have captured 53 of the past 56 ATP Masters 1000 titles (since ’10 Monte-Carlo).

For the second day in a row, Federer opens proceedings on Center Court against the second-youngest player in the Top 20 Emirates ATP Rankings, 22-year-old Dominic Thiem, the No. 13 seed. Federer won the previous meeting 61 64 in the semi-finals of Brisbane in the opening week of the season. Federer is one match win away from tying Ivan Lendl with 1,071 wins on the Open Era list. Thiem, who comes in with a 31-9 match record on the season, the second-most match wins behind Djokovic (34), has a 3-13 career record against Top 10 opponents (2-4 this year). 

In the third match on, 21-year-old Next Generation star Nick Kyrgios, the youngest player left, looks for his second win against seven-time Rome champion Nadal. Kyrgios won the previous meeting in the 4R at Wimbledon two years ago, firing 37 aces. The young Aussie posted his career-best fifth Top 10 win of the season on Wednesday over No. 10 Raonic. Nadal leads the ATP World Tour this year with an 18-3 clay court record, winning 14 of his past 15 matches. The only time he’s lost prior to the quarter-finals in Rome in 11 previous appearances was in 2008 (2R, l. to Ferrero).

In the evening session, World No. 1 and two-time reigning champion Djokovic brings a 5-0 career record against Brazilian left-hander Thomaz Bellucci. Djokovic, a four-time overall winner in Rome, is looking to reach the quarter-finals or better here for the 10th consecutive year. He’s won his last 11 matches in Rome and is 34-2 on the season. Bellucci has a 5-33 career record (0-1 in 2016) vs. Top 10 opponents and he’s looking to break a 19-match losing streak vs. Top 10 since his last win over No. 8 Tipsarevic in the final of 2012 Gstaad.

On Grandstand, No. 11 seed Richard Gasquet looks to avenge last week’s loss to Nishikori at ATP Masters 1000 Madrid. The Frenchman leads the overall head-to-head meetings 6-1. In the next match on, French lucky loser Lucas Pouille looks for his second win against No. 9 David Ferrer. Pouille saved one match point in his three-set 3R win over the Spaniard at ATP Masters 1000 Miami. Ferrer is trying to reach the quarter-finals for the seventh time in 13 appearances. In the last match on, No. 8 Tomas Berdych takes a 2-0 record against No. 12 seed David Goffin. This is their first meeting on clay.

On Pietrangeli, Juan Monaco of Argentina takes on Wawrinka, who has won the four previous meetings, including their last encounter here in the 2R one year ago. In the next match on, Frenchman Jeremy Chardy squares off with Murray, who leads the head-to-head 7-1 (2-0 on clay). Murray won the last two meetings on clay last year here and at Roland Garros. Both players are trying to reach the quarter-finals in Rome for the second time in three years. Chardy has a 9-43 career record vs. Top 10 opponents.

#NextGen star Elias Ymer survived a dramatic finish to his second-round match on Wednesday at the ATP Challenger Tour event in Bordeaux, France, surviving a face plant that forced him to serve underhand and a match point to advance past Roberto Carballes Baena, 1-6, 7-6(5), 7-6 (7).

Serving with a match point at 6-5 in the third-set tie-break, Ymer tripped while running to the net and face planted on the court, later revealing that he fell on his chest and couldn’t breathe properly. After taking a medical timeout, he lost the next point while serving underhand after the Spaniard hit an overhead winner. Carballes Baena had the match on his racquet serving at 7-6, but was unable to take advantage and sent a forehand long. Ymer earned another match point at 7-7 by hitting a forehand winner and then fired another forehand winner on the next point, raising his arms in triumph after his comeback victory.

“These are the moments I play tennis for,” said Ymer. “Everything was like a dream. The crowd was epic.”

Ymer advanced to his fourth ATP Challenger Tour quarter-final of 2016 with the win and is looking for his second ATP Challenger Tour title of the year, having prevailed last month in Barletta, Italy. Next up for the teenager is qualifier Jonathan Eysseric. 

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Internazionali BNL d’Italia – Rome, Italy

It was a star-studded affair on Monday night at the Foro Italico as Next Generation star Nick Kyrgios joined Italians Fabio Fognini, Andreas Seppi, Paolo Lorenzi, Marco Cecchinato, Filippo Volandri, Roberta Vinci, Flavia Pennetta and Francesca Schiavone in the Tennis With Stars charity event on Pietrangeli court. Read More

Stan Wawrinka and Paolo Lorenzi assisted with the draw ceremony at Piazza del Popolo. 

Andy Murray (View Photo), David Goffin (View Photo) and Kevin Anderson (View Photo) were on hand to participate in kids’ day activities.

Kei Nishikori, Milos Raonic (View Photo) and Berdych visited with sponsors on site at the Foro Italico.

Leonardo Mayer (View Photo) and Taylor Fritz (View Photo) had the unique experience of attending mass at the Vatican, presided on by the Pope.

Fritz and Guillermo Garcia-Lopez also enjoyed a tour of the city, taking in the historic sites.

Rafael Nadal will face Nick Kyrgios in the third round after the Spaniard beat Philipp Kohlschreiber in straight sets on Wednesday at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia.

Nadal, a seven-time Rome champion, won 71 per cent of his service points (35/49) and broke the German four times to sail in his opener. The 29 year old is now 13-1 against Kohlschreiber, who won the BMW Open by FWU AG on clay in Munich last month.

Nadal lost his only previous FedEx ATP Head2Head meeting against Kyrgios, a four-set contest at the 2014 Wimbledon.