Speaking to the media in the Principality, the Spaniard expressed surprise and admiration for Sinner’s decision to compete in Monte Carlo so soon after his grueling “Sunshine Double” run in the States.

“Honestly, it surprised me that Jannik came to play here after Indian Wells and Miami,” Alcaraz said. “It shows the incredible physical condition he’s in. I really hope we can face each other here; we haven’t played a single time this season, and I’d love for that to happen on the clay!”Alcaraz is eager to kick off his 2026 clay campaign.

For fans, an Alcaraz-Sinner showdown would be the ultimate highlight of the week, especially given the high stakes: the winner-takes-all scenario for the world No. 1 ranking.

The path to a showdown between Alcaraz and Sinner

Because Alcaraz and Sinner are anchored at opposite ends of the bracket as the top two seeds, they are on a collision course that can only happen in the finals. Both stars face a gauntlet before they can reach that hypothetical championship match.

Alcaraz opens his campaign in the second round against clay-court specialist Sebastián Baez, while Sinner is projected to face Ugo Humbert. To make the “Sincaraz” final a reality, both players will need to navigate a field that includes the likes of Alexander Zverev and Casper Ruud.

A statistical stalemate

An Alcaraz-Sinner clash in Monte Carlo would add a massive chapter to their “era-defining” rivalry. Heading into this tournament, Alcaraz holds a slim 11-6 lead in their head-to-head series (including a win in their epic 2025 French Open final).

Alejandro Tabilo maintained his flawless record against Novak Djokovic with another stunning win on Wednesday at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters. The Chilean cruised past the world No. 1 in straight sets, 6-3, 6-4, for his second victory over Djokovic in less than a year.

Just as in Rome last season, Tabilo capitalized on a below-par performance from the 24-time Grand Slam champion, outplaying him from the baseline and holding firm in key moments to reach the third round in The Principality.

With this win, Tabilo joins an exclusive club of players with a perfect record against Djokovic in at least two meetings. Only former World No. 1 Marat Safin and Jiri Vesely had previously achieved that feat. Safin beat Djokovic twice at Grand Slam events, while Vesely upset him in Monte Carlo in 2016 and again in Dubai in 2022.

Other players with a positive head-to-head vs Djokovic

Several others hold positive head-to-head records against Djokovic, though none remained undefeated across multiple encounters. Former World No. 1 Andy Roddick leads that list with a 5-4 record, winning five of their first seven meetings.

Nick Kyrgios went up 2-0 early in their rivalry before Djokovic beat him in the 2022 Wimbledon final. Fernando Gonzalez also won two out of three, as did Ivo Karlovic, both relying on powerful serving.

One-off wins over Djokovic were also recorded by Dan Evans, Taro Daniel, Antony Dupuis, Dennis Van Scheppingen, and Filippo Volandri, with most coming early in the Serbian’s career.

Djokovic’s struggles continue

The defeat to Tabilo adds to a rough stretch for Djokovic in 2025. Despite reaching the Miami final last month, where he lost to Jakub Mensik, his clay-court season is off to a rocky start. He admitted feeling unbalanced and committed 14 unforced errors in the first set alone on Wednesday.

After the match, Djokovic didn’t hold back. “I knew I’m probably going to play pretty bad, but this bad, I didn’t expect,” he said. “Just horrible. Horrible feeling to play this way. Just sorry for all the people who had to witness this.”

So far this year, Djokovic retired from the Australian Open semifinals due to injury, and suffered early losses in Dubai and Indian Wells. With the French Open as his stated priority this spring, he’ll need to turn things around quickly if he hopes to be a contender in Paris.

The biggest stars of the ATP Tour are meeting in the Monte Carlo Masters, which seems poised to bring new surprises at the start of the clay-court season. World No. 2 Alexander Zverev was eliminated in the second round by Matteo Berrettini, a loss that has consequences for the Rankings.

The Italian, who had one of the best comebacks in 2024 after suffering a right ankle injury in 2023, earned the biggest win of his career by ATP Rankings by beating Zverev 2-6, 6-3, 7-5 in an epic thriller. With this loss, Zverev’s potential claim of the World No. 1 from Jannik Sinner is mathematically over.

That means that, when Sinner returns to action, from completing his three-month ban, he will be World No. 1. Sinner is set to compete in the Masters of Rome, which starts on May 7th. He will be the first Italian to play on home soil as World No. 1.

On the other hand, Zverev’s loss is the latest of what has been a difficult period for the 27-year-old German, who has a 6-7 win-loss record since his Australian Open semifinals win after Novak Djokovic’s retirement. The 27-year-old will next head to the ATP 500 event on home soil in Munich.

The ATP Race keeps open

While Jannik Sinner is confirmed to stay at the top of the ATP Rankings until his return, the ATP Race for the ATP Finals in Turin still can change. Sinner will stay at the top of the Race only if neither Jack Draper, Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz make the final, or if Alex De Minaur doesn’t win the title.

Berrettini’s strong record on clay

Matteo Berrettini has now won 17 of his last 18 matches on clay. The 28-year-old collected ATP Tour clay titles last season in Marrakech, Gstaad, and Kitzbühel, and opened his Monte Carlo campaign this week with a straight-sets win over Mariano Navone, his first match on the surface this year.

“I played on clay until I was 19, it’s what I grew up on,” Berrettini said. “We don’t play on it much on Tour, but I’ve missed the biggest clay event the last three years, and that’s been hard. I really want to enjoy it now. I feel very at home on clay.”

Up next, Berrettini will face either Jiri Lehecka or fellow Italian Lorenzo Musetti. Musetti was the last Italian before Berrettini to beat a Top-2 player on clay, upsetting Novak Djokovic in Monte Carlo in 2023.

The clay-court swing officially begins this week in Monte Carlo, where the ATP Tour’s biggest stars have gathered for the first major title on the surface. Notably absent, however, will be Miami Open champion Jakub Mensik.

The 19-year-old Czech withdrew from the Monte Carlo Masters after a taxing run in Miami, in which he suffered from a knee issue. Mensik later revealed that he had considered pulling out of the tournament before the final, but credited his physiotherapist (and a bit of luck) for keeping him on court. He went on to capture his first Masters 1000 title, defeating Novak Djokovic in straight sets.

Because Monte Carlo is a non-mandatory event and Mensik would have needed to play qualifying rounds to reach the main draw, he has opted to prioritize recovery. Instead, he will resume his schedule at the ATP 500 event in Munich, which starts on April 14th.

With his breakthrough in Miami, Mensik became the fifth-youngest champion at the Masters 1000 level, joining an elite group that includes Michael Chang, Rafael Nadal, Carlos Alcaraz, and Holger Rune.

A changing of the guard?

Monte Carlo could continue a trend that has defined the early part of the 2025 season: the rise of the next generation. Jannik Sinner is not expected to return until May, and established names like Alcaraz and others in the Top 10 have struggled to advance deep into tournaments.

In Houston, Jenson Brooksby captured his first ATP title by beating Frances Tiafoe in the final, adding to the growing list of young players breaking through. Following Jack Draper’s triumph at Indian Wells and Mensik’s run in Miami, Monte Carlo could be set for yet another first-time Masters 1000 winner.

That said, Novak Djokovic, who came without new coach Andy Murray, remains a threat. Despite falling short in Miami, the 24-time Grand Slam champion had a positive week and will be eyeing his 100th career title in Monaco.

The 2022 Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters draw is comprised of 56 players including 16 seeds, the top eight of which receive a bye into the second round. On one hand, the tournament is going to count on the participation of the number 1 player in the ATP ranking Novak Djokovic, who will play again after hisparticipationin Dubai. Also, Jannik Sinner,Carlos Alcaraz,Alexander Zverev, and Stefanos Tsitsipas, the last Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters winner, are going to participate.

On the other hand, the 2022 Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters will not count withthe participation of world number two Daniil Medvedev.World number six Matteo Berrettini also withdrew as he extends his recovery from hand surgery. Rafael Nadal’s absence will surely be the most noticeable. The 11-time Monte-Carlo champion is not going to be part of the tournament.

Why will Rafael Nadal not play at the 2022 Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters?

Rafael Nadal lost the final of the 2022 Indian Wells against Taylor Fritz and then decided not to compete in the 2022 Miami Open to take some time off. Some days later, the Spaniard said that after the final against Fritz he was having trouble breathing. After medical studies, he confirmed he had a stress rib fracture.

“I have trouble breathing. I don’t know if it’s something in the rib or what it is. When I breathe, when I move, it’s like a needle inside all the time. I get a little dizzy because it’s painful, it limits me a lot, and it affects me. More than sad about the defeat, something that I accepted immediately even before finishing the final, I am suffering more because of this issue”, Nadal said.

Then he shared his medical diagnosis on Twitter. “In the end, it turns out I have a rib stress fracture, and I will be out between 4 and six weeks. There isn’t good news, and I didn’t expect this. I’m sad after the great beginning of the season I had”, he wrote. That’s why Nadal will not participate in the 2022 Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters and probably he will also miss Barcelona. If he recovers in time and form, the Spaniard wouldplay in Madrid.