Alcaraz and Djokovic could meet in the Monte Carlo semifinals
Both players could battle it out for a ticket to the Masters 1000 final, although they will face some tough tests before that.
The clay season has begun with some ATP 250 tournaments, but the third Masters 1000 event’s main draw is about to start and the best players in the world will have to transition to slower courts.
Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic will be two of the biggest names that will feature in the Monte Carlo Masters, and it will be interesting to see how the Serb will return to the competition after taking a break to spend more time with his family.
The world No. 1 hasn’t had a good start to the season, with a record of 8-3 after losing to Alex de Miñaur in the United Cup, Jannik Sinner in the Australian Open semifinals, and Luca Nardi at Indian Wells.
Meanwhile, Alcaraz had better results than the 24-time major champion, despite having tasted defeat on four occasions this year. He found his best form at ‘Tennis Paradise’, and he got to the semifinals at the Miami Open, where he was beaten by Grigor Dimitrov.
A potential Alcaraz-Djokovic clash in Monte Carlo
Alcaraz is considered the future of tennis alongside Sinner and other young guns like Holger Rune, Casper Ruud, and Ben Shelton. However, Djokovic, 36, wants to keep proving he still has plenty left in his tank to keep winning majors and other important ATP events.
Both players have met five times, with Djokovic edging their head-to-head 3-2. All of their games have been exciting, and some will probably remembered for a long time, like the 2023 Wimbledon final and the Cincinnati Masters final, one month later.
Now they could hold another great battle in Monte Carlo, but that will only happen if both men make it to the semifinals.
Nole, a two-time tournament champion, will make his debut in this year’s event against Roman Safiullin or a qualifier. He could face Lorenzo Musetti or Taylor Fritz in the third round. The winner would take on Frenchmen Arthur Fils or Adrian Mannarino. If Djokovic overcomes those obstacles, he could meet the defending champion Andrey Rublev in the quarterfinals.
Alcaraz, meanwhile, will be looking to improve his record in the tournament, as he lost in the second round the only time he featured in the event, in 2022. The Murcia native could face a tough opponent in his opening match, as he will play against Felix Auger-Aliassime or a qualifier. If he gets past his first opponent, he could meet Dubai champion Ugo Humbert in the third round and probably Casper Ruud in the quarterfinals.