The Belgian brilliance show rolls on: Alexander Blockx will play Rome after late withdrawal

Sunday, 03 May 2026 at 14:57

Alexander Blockx will play Rome this next week after all with a late withdrawal seeing the Belgian who performed so well in Madrid claim a spot in the main draw at the Foro Italico.

Blockx will enter the top 40 this next week and performed incredibly in Madrid becoming one of the leading stories of the week alongside Marta Kostyuk in the WTA who won the title, Rafael Jodar the rising Spaniard and of course the men's final which will take place later today featuring Zverev and Sinner.

At just 21-years-old, he seems to finally be breaking out so ahead of the French Open, he will get to strut his stuff on the courts of Rome as he will get a higher ceiling than before in order to play now he has risen so high in the rankings. He defeated Felix Auger-Aliassime, Francisco Cerundolo and defending champion Casper Ruud.

But the reason he is even playing in Rome is due to withdrawals. Gabriel Diallo is out of Rome with an injury after being forced to retire from the tournament against Elmer Moller in Madrid from a back injury, As a result he is not in Rome and now Blockx will be.

Bergs lauds Blockx

One player that was full of support for Blockx's run was in fact Zizou Bergs who lauded his compatriot for how good he played and he saw the bigger picture about how good it is for Belgian tennis after for a long time he was the leading light after the demise of David Goffin.

“It's great for Belgian tennis. It's a fantastic achievement by a young Belgian with huge potential who is sure to make headlines again. We now have three players in Belgium with enormous potential (alongside Collignon)," he said to RTBF.

Blockx benefits from another late call-up

And Alexander (Blockx) has already demonstrated exceptional qualities at a very young age, which logically points to a promising future. I think we're both focused on our personal goals. In my case, it's to be seeded at Roland Garros.

You mainly have to focus on yourself, even if others can obviously serve as inspiration, push you to deliver great performances and build confidence. But I believe the most important thing is to stay focused on yourself to get the maximum out of it,”

Samuel GillEditor-in-Chief

Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of TennisUpToDate.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces across the TennisUpToDate network, playing a central role in the daily operation and development of the site.

Based in Leicester, Samuel has a broad background in tennis media. In his current role, he works closely with editors and writers to ensure coverage meets clear journalistic standards, with particular attention to verification, consistency, and timely updates when new information becomes available.

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