The first clay-court ATP Masters 1000 event of the season commences this week at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters, where a host of Top 10 stars are in action in the Principality.
Two-time champion Novak Djokovic, back at No. 1 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, will lead the field. Stefanos Tsitsipas eyes a third consecutive title in Monaco and Daniil Medvedev, who has triumphed on Tour four times this year, will be chasing his first trophy on clay.
Here are 10 things to watch this week.
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1) Djokovic Returns: The Serbian will compete for the first time since March when he fell in the semi-finals in Dubai against Medvedev. Djokovic ceded top spot in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings after Carlos Alcaraz won Indian Wells, but is back at No. 1 again now after the 19-year-old Spaniard failed to defend his Miami title. Djokovic, who triumphed in Monte-Carlo in 2013 and 2015, is chasing his third title of the season after winning an ATP 250 in Adelaide and his 22nd major at the Australian Open.
2) Two-Time Champ Tsitsipas: Tsitsipas holds fond memories in Monte-Carlo, where he lifted the trophy in 2021 and 2022. The Greek, who defeated Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in last year’s final, will hope the ATP Masters 1000 event can help him kick on after he suffered a second-round exit in Indian Wells and a fourth-round exit in Miami. The 24-year-old holds a 12-2 record in the Principality.
3) Ruud Chasing Best Level: Casper Ruud has struggled to find his best form this season, suffering third-round defeats in Indian Wells and Miami. The Norwegian, who is into the semi-finals in Estoril this week, has often produced his best tennis on clay, with eight of his nine titles coming on the surface. The 24-year-old’s best result in Monte-Carlo came in 2021 when he reached the semi-finals.
4) Medvedev On A Roll: Medvedev arrives in the Principality in red-hot form, having won four tour-level titles since February. The 27-year-old captured his fifth ATP Masters 1000 crown in Miami earlier this month, which helped move him to No. 1 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin. Holding a 29-3 record on the season, Medvedev, who reached the semi-finals in Monte-Carlo in his previous appearance in 2019, is chasing his first clay-court title this week.
5) Top 10 Stars Rublev, Rune & Fritz In Action: Andrey Rublev and Holger Rune have enjoyed consistent starts to the season but are still seeking their first title of the season. Rublev advanced to the final in Monte Carlo in 2021, while Rune is making his third appearance. Rublev opens against Marc-Andrea Huesler or Jaume Munar, with Rune playing Dominic Thiem or Richard Gasquet.
World No. 10 Taylor Fritz is 20-6 on the year, highlighted by his title run in Delray Beach. The American reached a career-high No. 5 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings last month and will continue his quest to rise again in the Principality. The 25-year-old reached the quarter-finals at the clay-court event last year.
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6) Sinner & Khachanov Arrive In Form: Jannik Sinner and Karen Khachanov enter the event in form. The 21-year-old Sinner backed up his semi-final run in Indian Wells by advancing to his second ATP Masters 1000 title match in Miami. The Italian, whose only clay-court title came in Umag last year, opens against Diego Schwartzman or David Goffin.
Khachanov also made waves in Miami, advancing to the semi-finals before eventual champion Medvedev stopped him. The former World No. 8 will be looking to transfer his form to the clay courts in Monaco, where he is making his sixth appearance.
7) Paul & Norrie In Race Contention: Tommy Paul and Cameron Norrie are seventh and eighth, respectively, in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin. Paul reached the semi-finals at the Australian Open and title match in Acapulco this season, while Norrie captured a clay-court title at the ATP 500 event in Rio de Janeiro. Both will be aiming for deep runs in Monte-Carlo to remain inside the Top 8 in the Race.
8) Thiem & Wawrinka Receive Wild Cards: Stan Wawrinka and Dominic Thiem possess strong clay-court pedigree, clinching a combined 16 titles on the surface. Former World No. 3 Wawrinka triumphed in Monte-Carlo in 2014, while Austrian Thiem’s best result came in 2018 when he reached the quarter-finals. They both received a wild card into the tournament.
9) First-Round Matches To Watch: Following Friday's draw, there are several intriguing first-round matches to look out for. #NextGenATP American Ben Shelton takes on 2022 semi-finalist Grigor Dimitrov, while former World No. 1 Andy Murray plays 14th seed Alex de Minaur. The 12th seed Frances Tiafoe has a tricky opening test against 2022 Next Gen ATP Finals runner-up Jiri Lehecka.
10) Ram/Salisbury Looking To Defend Title: Defending champions Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury will aim to win their fourth ATP Masters 1000 title as a team and first trophy of the season when they take to court in the Principality. They will face stern competition from top seeds Wesley Koolhof and Neal Skupski and third seeds Marcelo Arevalo and Jean-Julien Rojer. Singles stars Stefanos Tsitsipas, Andrey Rublev, Hubert Hurkacz and Cameron Norrie are all on doubles duty.
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