Scouting Report: Alcaraz in Rio; Tsitsipas returns in Los Cabos & Rublev leads Doha

ATP Tour

For the third straight week on the ATP Tour, a trio of events spanning three continents will host some of the top players in men's tennis. 

The top seeds at each event return to cities where they have previously lifted the trophy, including Carlos Alcaraz, who leads the field at the Rio Open presented by Claro. Stefanos Tsitsipas returns to action in Los Cabos, where he triumphed last August at the Mifel Tennis Open by Telcel Oppo. In Doha, Andrey Rublev is the top seed at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open.

ATPTour.com breaks down five things to watch at each event.

FIVE THINGS TO WATCH IN RIO DE JANEIRO
1) Alcaraz's Return To Rio: The season's first clay-court ATP 500 will feature World No. 2 Alcaraz, who won the tournament in 2022. A finalist last year in Rio, the Spaniard looks to recapture the title for his 13th tour-level trophy. 

2) Defending Champ Norrie: One of the highlights of Cameron Norrie's 2023 campaign came at the Jockey Club Brasileiro, where he recovered from a 5-7, 0-3 deficit in a dramatic final, ousting Alcaraz in three sets to claim his lone title of the season. It will be a pivotal week for the World No. 20 as he defends 500 Pepperstone ATP Rankings points.

3) In-form Jarry Hunts Biggest Title: When red clay is under Nicolas Jarry's feet, the Chilean is at his best. A Rio semi-finalist last year, the 28-year-old has captured three clay-court titles, two of which came in 2023. The third seed, who captured his 100th tour-level win last week, looks to maintain his form in the South American country.

4) Fils Seeks Second Clay Crown: #NextGenATP Frenchman Arthur Fils captured his first tour-level title on the Lyon clay last May, and closed the season by reaching the title match at the Next Gen ATP Finals. Making his Rio debut, the 19-year-old has a chance to move clear of Shang Juncheng and be the lone leader atop the Pepperstone ATP Race to Jeddah.

5) Ram/Salisbury Head Doubles Field: Back-to-back Nitto ATP Finals titlists Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury will be the top seeds at the Rio Open presented by Claro. The American-British duo will face competition from Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos, as well as Cordoba champions Maximo Gonzalez and Andres Molteni.

FIVE THINGS TO WATCH IN LOS CABOS
1) More Mexico Success For Tsitsipas?: Playing his first tournament since the Australian Open, Tsitsipas is back in action at the Mifel Tennis Open by Telcel Oppo, where he collected the title last August. Despite the fact he will start the tournament outside the Top 10 of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings for the first time in five years, the Greek looks to bring a high level to the ATP 250 as the second seed.

2) Ruud, Zverev In Field: Four Top 15 players are competing in Mexico: Tsitsipas, Alexander Zverev, Alex de Minaur and Casper Ruud. The World No. 6 Zverev and Norwegian Ruud are competing in ATP Tour action for the first time since Melbourne.

3) Michelsen Making Ground: #NextGenATP star Alex Michelsen aims to continue his quest for a return trip to Jeddah for the 20-and-under Next Gen ATP Finals. The 19-year-old American is one of two teens competing in Los Cabos, alongside home hope Rodrigo Pacheco Mendez.

4) Draper's Maiden Moment?: Jack Draper has finished runner-up at each of the last two ATP 250s he has competed in (Adelaide, Sofia). The lefty will hope to go one step further this week to capture his first tour-level crown. American Marcos Giron, who was a finalist in Dallas and semi-finalist in Delray Beach, is also among those chasing their maiden tour-level title.

5) Gonzalez/Skupski Top Seeds: In their first season as partners, Santiago Gonzalez and Neal Skupski enter the hard-court tournament as the top seeds. A star-studded doubles field features Stefanos Tsitsipas and Petros Tsitsipas, Dallas champions Max Purcell and Jordan Thompson, William Blumberg and Casper Ruud, and Jack Draper playing with countryman Daniel Evans.

FIVE THINGS TO WATCH IN DOHA
1) Top Seed Rublev: World No. 5 Rublev returns to the Qatar ExxonMobil Open, where he won the title in 2020. The 26-year-old looks to build upon his 10-2 season record and earn a second title on the year, having triumphed in Week 1 in Hong Kong.

2) Can Murray Bounce Back?: Three-time major champion Andy Murray aims to end his six-match losing skid in Doha. The former World No. 1 will have reason for confidence to find his best form in Qatar, having reached the final a year ago. Murray also won back-to-back titles at the hard-court ATP 250 in 2008 and 2009.

3) Bublik, Humbert Build Off Title Runs: Alexander Bublik and Ugo Humbert each added to their trophy collection earlier this month with title runs in Montpellier and Marseille, respectively. They now turn their attention to Doha, where Humbert is seeded third and Bublik is seeded fourth.

4) Former Doha Champions: Former champions Gael Monfils, Richard Gasquet and Roberto Bautista Agut look to roll back the years in Qatar. The Spaniard Bautista Agut was crowned champion just two years ago, and he also was victorious in 2019. Gasquet triumphed in Doha in 2013, and Monfils secured the title five years later in 2018.

5) Young Stars: Czech teen Jakub Mensik is the lone #NextGenATP contender competing in Doha, where he is using a Next Gen accelerator spot to enter the main draw. Next Gen ATP Finals alumnus Abdullah Shelbayh is also among the field of 28.