As the Madrid Open is approaching its end, the qualifying rounds for the Rome Masters have already begun. Many top ATP players such as Marcos Giron, Joao Sousa, Marton Fucsovics, and others are currently playing the qualifiers at the Italian Open in Rome. Meanwhile, the current coach of the A.S. Roma FC, Jose Mourinho, recently attended the qualifiers of the Rome Masters to support his compatriot, Joao Sousa.
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Jose Mourinho showed his support for Joao Sousa at Rome Masters
Currently, ranked-82 in the ATP rankings, Joao Sousa had a great first round of the qualifiers at the Italian Open. The Portuguese tennis player beat Mackenzie McDonald by 6-2,6-4 to move to the next round of qualifying. In the next match, he will face Francisco Cerundolo of Argentina. If he wins that match, he will play in the major draw.
In today’s match, he looked flawless as he received ‘special’ support from the former Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho. After the match, they also met with one another and had a brief conversation. Known as ‘The Special One’, Mourinho is also Portuguese and he has always shown support for any Portuguese player playing any sport.
Also, the Italian Open is taking place in Rome, and he’s also the manager of AS Roma FC.
Mourinho went to watch Sousa's QR1 in Rome.
And João did great. https://t.co/7LxBdpSEop
— José Morgado (@josemorgado) May 7, 2022
Recently, his soccer club qualified for the final of Europa Conference League final after beating Leicester City FC in the semi-final. Maybe Jose’s win inspired Sousa to play a great match, even though he has been struggling for form in recent times.
Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic could face each other in the semi-final in Rome
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Just like the Madrid Open, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal could potentially face each other in the semi-final at the Italian Open. Previously, Nadal won this tournament 10 times, and Djokovic won it five times. Clearly, this is one of their favorite tournaments. However, they could face some tough opponents before that.
Meanwhile, other top players like Carlos Alcaraz, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Alexander Zverev, and others are drawn in the bottom half. Apart from Nadal and Djokovic, Alcaraz is one of the favorites to win the whole tournament. Currently, the Spaniard is in tremendous form, as he beat Djokovic to elevate his position.
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Who will win the Italian Open? Let us know in the comments.
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