The first ATP Masters 1000 event of the clay season is underway in Monte Carlo.
World No.1 and two-time Monte Carlo champion Novak Djokovic is the top seed, followed by two-time defending champion Stefanos Tsitsipas. The third seed is Daniil Medvedev, who leads the ATP with 29 match wins. But can the self-anointed “hard court specialist” transfer that success onto the red clay?
Overall the singles draw includes eight of the ATP top 10, but it’s missing 11-time champion Rafael Nadal, world No.2 Carlos Alcaraz, and Monte Carlo resident Felix Auger-Aliassime, who all withdrew due to injury.
The doubles draw features some top singles players in unique pairings, with partnerships such as Taylor Fritz and Holger Rune, Diego Schwartzman and Jannik Sinner, and Stan Wawrinka and Nicolas Mahut.
Each day, this preview will analyze the most intriguing matchup, while highlighting other notable matches on the schedule. Monday’s play gets underway at 11:00am local time.
Alex de Minaur (14) vs. Andy Murray – Third on Court Rainier III
This will be Murray’s first match in Monte Carlo in six years. He received direct entry thanks to the top players who pulled out due to injury. Andy is 15-9 lifetime at this event, with three semifinal appearances, the most recent of which occurred in 2016. Murray went 8-5 during the first three months of this year on hard courts.
De Minaur is 12-6 this season, and was the champion in Acapulco, where he defeated both Holger Rune and Tommy Paul. Alex is only 1-2 previously in Monte Carlo, and went 9-6 on clay in 2022.
The Australian is 2-0 against the Brit, with both matches taking place on hard courts. Four years ago in Zhuhai, De Minaur prevailed 6-4 in the third. And just last September at the Laver Cup, Alex prevailed 10-7 in a deciding-set tiebreak.
But on Monday in Monte Carlo, I would not be surprised to see Murray earn his first victory over de Minaur. As a last-minute addition to this field, Andy may feel as if he has nothing to lose in this unplanned appearance. And Murray has proven himself to be one of 2023’s toughest outs, saving match points during several epic comebacks in January and February.
Other Notable Matches on Monday:
Stan Wawrinka (WC) vs. Tallon Griekspoor – Wawrinka won this tournament in 2014 by defeating Roger Federer in the final, and is 9-6 this year. Griekspoor is 14-6, after starting the season by winning a title in Pune. Five years ago in Rotterdam, Tallon claimed their only previous meeting in three sets, when he was a wild card ranked 259th in the world, and Stan was just coming back from knee surgery.
Maxime Cressy vs. Matteo Berrettini – Berrettini is off to a rough start in 2023, having lost six of his last eight tour-level matches. Cressy reached a final earlier this season in Montpellier, but arrives in Monte Carlo on a five-match losing streak. And the serve-and-volleyer only owns one ATP match win on clay in his career.
Petros Tsitsipas and Stefanos Tsitsipas vs. Grigor Dimitrov and Hubert Hurkacz – The Tsitsipas brothers team up semi-regularly, while this is only Grigor and Hubi’s third time teaming within the past year.
Simone Bolelli and Lorenzo Musetti vs. Taylor Fritz and Holger Rune – Bolelli normally teams with another Italian, Fabio Fognini, who was a surprise winner of this event in 2019. This is Fritz and Rune’s first time as a team, less than two weeks after their first-ever singles match in Miami, which Taylor won.
Richard Gasquet vs. Dominic Thiem (WC) – Thiem just announced that his successful coaching relationship with Nicolas Massu has come to an end. Dominic has only won three matches this season, but they’ve all come on clay, including two just this past week. He has split four previous meetings with Gasquet, all of which have taken place on hard courts.
Monday’s full Order of Play is here.
