The Miami Open is still only in its first few days, and already the event has been plagued by forces outside of its control.
As such, disaster has struck, and the entire tournament has been thrown into disarray, plagued by inclement weather that has seen so many matches delayed or cancelled.
It threatens to unravel everything that tournament director James Blake has worked to put in place, as they now face a race against time to get the Miami Open completed before the clay-court season gets underway.
And yet, this is not the only blow the competition has suffered in the last few days.
In fact, one of its top-seeded ATP stars, just hours before the event was due to begin, has added insult to injury with his late withdrawal.
Lorenzo Musetti withdraws from the Miami Open
Lorenzo Musetti is the man who has decided that the Miami Open comes a step too early for him, taking to Instagram to explain the reasons behind his planned absence.
Having played his first match since that cruel retirement Melbourne just last week in Indian Wells, where he was beaten in straight sets, it was clear that the Italian was far from fully fit.
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He confirmed as such in his statement, simply writing: “Hi everyone, unfortunately I have had to pull out of the @miamiopen.
”I love playing here, but just need a bit of time to feel 100% out on the court. Appreciate your support and look forward to seeing you all during the clay season.”
It marks the latest setback in a particularly cruel start to the year for Musetti, who was forced to retire with a leg injury when leading Novak Djokovic by two sets to love in the Australian Open quarter-finals in January.
Musetti was criticised for quitting in that match against Djokovic, but his continued absence in the months after highlights the true severity of his injury.
Lorenzo Musetti has to focus on the clay-court seasons
This is a blow for the Miami Open and those who were hoping to see the silky Italian play, but it marks a smart decision ahead of an integral upcoming few months for Musetti.
After all, he has the bulk of his ranking points to defend during the clay-court season, where he historically has enjoyed some of his best results.
Last year in particular saw the 24-year-old enjoy a stunning run of form, and thus has a huge 2250 points to defend between now and the end of Roland Garros.
He began last year by reaching the final in Monte Carlo, before backing that up with back-to-back semifinals in Madrid and Rome.
Then, heading to the French Open, Musetti once again impressed, but was forced to retire in the semifinals there as well against the eventual champion, Carlos Alcaraz.
Prioritising his fitness for these crucial months is probably a smart move, but it marks a blow for the Miami Open on the eve of the tournament’s stuttering start.
