Rafael Nadal won a record-extending 10th Barcelona Open title on Sunday by thrashing Dominic Thiem of Austria 6-4, 6-1, collecting his second claycourt title in a row.
Last year's runner-up and seventh seed Ruud will now advance to the semi-finals, where he could face fourth seed Alexander Zverev or 11th seed Alex de Minaur.
The ATP Tour brought the world number ones for a short conversation as they prepared for the prestigious tournament.
'I'm disappointed and sad because after a good start to the season I was coming to a very important part of the year with very good feelings and good results.'
Although comprehensively beaten by Novak Djokovic on the Monte Carlo semi-finals, clay court king Rafael Nadal believes he is on the right path as his beloved French Open looms.
Alexander Zverev continued to rebuild his confidence on clay with a straight sets win over Spain's Roberto Bautista Agut in the Monte Carlo Masters second round.
Take a look at the five top contenders for the men's singles title at the French Open:
Earlier, title holder Borna Coric beat American Sebastian Korda 7-6 (5), 6-4, while another home hope Taylor Fritz survived a first-set thriller to beat Czech Jiri Lehecka 7-6 (14), 6-2.
Fears that Rafael Nadak may miss the French Open grew after he pulled out of this week's Italian Open.
World No 15 Marin Cilic is under the radar of the International Tennis Federation for failing a drug test during the BMW Open in Munich in April, it has been reported.
The 20-time Grand Slam champion decided to opt out of the event in order to attend an award ceremony in Monte Carlo.
Swiss tennis maestro Roger Federer poked fun at Andy Murray after scribbling his own signature next to the Briton's face in spot No 2 at an official ATP event in Monte Carlo.
'Whilst I feel fit and healthy, I would like to give it a go.'
The Wimbledon men's singles semi-finals take centre stage at the All England Club on Friday.
Twenty four time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic closed the 2023 ATP season by clinching the year-end No. 1 spot for a record-extending eighth time.
Penpix of the top men's contenders at the 2021 French Open which begins on Sunday:
Tabilo broke the top seed four times on Centre Court while not conceding a single break point.
Macau is famous worldwide as the 'Monte Carlo of the Orient'.
Novak Djokovic huffed and puffed but forced his way into the fourth round of the French Open.
Although Nadal has revealed that he has seen improvements in his hip injury after trying a new treatment, the question still remains: Will Rafa defend his title at the French Open?
Rafael Nadal's 30-match winning streak ended on Friday when the world number one was upset 7-6(1), 6-4 by fellow Spaniard David Ferrer in the Monte Carlo Masters quarter-finals.
'So to have a person by your side that you love and can comfortably and mutually and reciprocally talk about tennis in our case, I think it's a breath of fresh air.'
The French Open will be held in Paris from May 22 to June 5.
In the ongoing Monte Carlo Masters, Jannik Sinner clinched a hard-fought win as Casper Ruud crashed out.
Resurgent Spanish great Rafael Nadal will have the rare privilege of playing on a court named after him when he meets Brazilian Rogerio Dutra Silva in the last 32 of the Barcelona Open on Wednesday.
Monfils, 35, reached the last four at the 2008 French Open and repeated the feat eight years later at the 2016 US Open but has never reached a Grand Slam final.
Rafael Nadal stayed on course for a record-extending 10th Monte Carlo Masters title when the Spaniard beat David Goffin 6-3, 6-1 in the semi-finals after the Belgian was denied a key point in controversial fashion on Saturday.
Following is a list of the previous matches between Switzerland's Roger Federer and Spain's Rafael Nadal ahead of their meeting in the title decider at the Australian Open on Sunday
Three contenders for the men's singles title at the Australian Open, which starts on Sunday.
Zverev and Rublev among dark horses for French Open
Following a first round exit at the Italian Open, Andy Murray is undecided on what's next.
Top seed David Ferrer summed up his error-strewn defeat by qualifier Dmitry Tursunov as "one of the worst I have played" after falling at the first hurdle at the Barcelona Open on Wednesday.
'I had a tough season in the last few years, but I've had better preparation this year, even with a tough start to the season'
Rafael Nadal reached the final of the Barcelona Open for the ninth time by beating German Philipp Kohlschreiber 6-3, 6-3 on Saturday.
Carlos Alcaraz beat lucky loser Jan-Lennard Struff in the Madrid Open final on Sunday to defend last year's title and win his fourth ATP Tour trophy of the year
The Indian challenge ended in the US $15,000 ITF men's hardcourt tournament in Taizhou, China, with the defeat of Karan Rastogi in the quarter-finals on Friday. The unseeded Indian lost 6-4, 2-6, 4-6 to Japanese Toshihide Matsui.
A summary of sports events and sports persons, who made news on Wednesday.
Andy Murray is in the best shape since his hip surgery as the former world number one prepares for a run at Wimbledon.
