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Events in Estoril and Houston set the prelude for the Monte Carlo Masters. The first clay-court Masters every of the ATP circuit. This is the 115th edition of the competition, one that will be enjoyed by fans and professionals, especially the latter who will get a pie of the €5,779,335 prize money.
The current edition has been marred by setbacks. Pros are always expected to withdraw based on the quick turnaround following Indian Wells and Miami Open. This year has been hit hard with 11-time winner Rafael Nadal pulling out after being one of the first confirmed participants, making the Monte Carlo predictions even harder.
While the King of Clay was returning from injury, fans will be devastated to miss out on the clash between Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic. The duo missed each other on the circuit while exchanging the number 1 and 2 spot between them.
Despite this, fans will be looking forward to duels between the Serbian and his trailing pack. Stefanos Tsitsipas, Daniil Medvedev, Casper Ruud, Andry Rublev and Jannik Sinner will be eager to pit their wits against the 22-time Grand Slam winner. While not at his best anymore, Andy Murray is also making his return after a five-year hiatus.
Monte Carlo Masters History and Winners
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There is plenty of action to follow in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin. Players would love to get their hands on the silverware, which will be presented for the 116th time. As it stands, only four events precede the Monte Carlo Masters, Wimbledon (1877), US Open (1881), Canadian Open (1881) and French Open (1891). The Cincinnati Masters started a couple of years after the first event in the principality of Monaco.
The early years of the Monte Carlo Masters saw the reign of Reginald Doherty, who triumphed six times between 1897 and 1904. This coincided with Laurence Doherty’s four triumphs at the turn of the century from 1900 to 1906. The baton was passed to Anthony Wilding, who was the champion five times from 1908 to 1914.
In the Open era, no player challenged the might of Reginald Doherty until Rafael Nadal’s dominance on the clay court began. The Spaniard has 11 titles to his name, reigning supreme from 2005 to 1018.
Current world number 1, Novak Djokovic has been crowned champion twice in 2013 and 15. While Stefanos Tsitsipas has laid waste to the competition in the last two editions. Swiss Maestro, Roger Federer tried to submit Monte Carlo four times but could never get over the line.
Monte Carlo Masters – 2023 Schedule
The annual event will run from April 8th to April 16th in Monte Carlo, Monaco. It is the first clay court 1000 points tournament and is widely regarded as one of the more important events precluding to the French Open.
The Monte Carlo Masters features a total of 56 players, including the top-ranked players in the world. The tournament is divided into several stages, including qualifying rounds, singles and doubles events, and the championship match.
The top 16 seeded players receive a bye in the first round of the main draw, while the remaining players compete in the qualifying rounds to secure a spot in the main draw.
In addition to the singles event, Monte Carlo doubles will also feature some of the top players and it should be a very interesting even to follow.
Monte Carlo Masters – Missing players in 2023
After a long hiatus, British tennis legend, Andy Murray is making his much-awaited comeback to the Monte Carlo Masters. While his presence will bring joy to the fans, they will surely feel the absence of top stars on the court.
The biggest setback to the 2023 event came from the withdrawal of Rafael Nadal. The King of Clay has not added to his tally of 11 triumphs since 2018 and will be sorely missed. Compatriot, Carlos Alcaraz is another tennis ace whose absence will be missed. There is little that separates the duo and their bout on the surface is long awaited.
The Spanish duo join Felix Auger-Aliassime, Pablo Carreno Busta and Denis Shapovalov as the stars missing out on the event. American fans were also left ruing the unavailability of Sebastian Korda and Tommy. Frances Tiafoe has also withdrawn following his Houston Open triumph, only the second of his career.
Monte Carlo Masters 2023 – Top Seeds
Fans will miss Nadal and co. but will be excited to see the return of Novak Djokovic. The Serbian has missed the competition following his triumph at Australian Open and semi-final defeat to Daniil Medvedev in Dubai.
Djokovic’s absence from the court was forced due to his stance on coronavirus vaccination. He was not allowed to participate in Indian Wells and Miami Open and will be relishing the clash with top tennis stars again.
The 22-time Grand Slam winner is the top seed at the event but will be pessimistic about his possibilities. He has not won here since 2015 and will come up against Stefanos Tsitsipas. The Greek ace is the second seed at Monte Carlo Masters and has triumphed here on the last two occasions, so he is the favourite to win by many pundits.
There is also a challenge from Daniil Medvedev. Following his early ousting from the Australian Open, he has been on a wild run. The Russian has blown past anyone who has stood in his way, making five successive competition finals. He triumphed in Rotterdam, Doha, Dubai and Miami. The Indian Wells crown slipped from his fingers after being outplayed by the absent Carlos Alcaraz in the final.
Monte Carlo Masters Prize Money 2023
Monaco is known for its millionaires and lavish lifestyle. The Monte Carlo Masters symbolizes it with its prize money. In 2023, the tournament will offer total prize money of €5,779,335, with the winner receiving a cash prize of €892,590.
The runner-up will receive €487,420, while semifinalists, quarterfinalists, and players eliminated in earlier rounds will receive €266,530, €145,380, €77,760, €41,700, and €23,100, respectively.
The prize money has seen a 6.73% year-on-year increase. This places into the 159.99% rise in prize money in 2022 after the resumption of the tournament after it was cancelled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The prize money outlay increase still sees the rewards pale in comparison to the recently concluded Sunshine Double. The winner in Miami, Daniil Medvedev, walked away with €1,190,454 which was similar to Carlos Alcaraz’s haul of €1,188,615 at Indian Wells.
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