UK: 18+ USA: 21+ | Begambleaware.org | T&Cs apply | Play Responsibly
The Monte Carlo Masters is upon us. Tennis enthusiasts will be excited for the first clay court event of the 2023 campaign. Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz are missing but it does not take the shine away from the event.
Novak Djokovic is readying himself for the first 1000-point event of the year. He already has the Australian Open in the bag and will like to add clay court silverware to his ranks. It will be not a walk in the part despite the numerous withdrawals from the event.
Daniil Medvedev is not known for his performances on the clay court but will fancy his chances this year. He has won four titles already and has made it to the final of five successive events.
However, it is not the Russian but Stefanos Tsitspas who will be the draw. The Greek ace has triumphed at the Monte Carlo Masters the last two times and can hold his own against anyone.
In addition to the aforementioned, the draw is full of top contenders. Winning in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin not only means clinching the silverware and the prize money but also sets up for the coming series of clay court events in Barcelona and Madrid with the ultimate prize being the French Open.
It is going to be an intense clash of tennis titans with fans likely to witness surprises along the way. Let’s take a look at the top five seeded players and their route to success in Monte Carlo.
Monte Carlo Masters 2023 Seeds
Contents
The 116th edition of the Monte Carlo Masters is littered with top stars. With the qualifiers almost finished, the lineup for the main draw is coming close to completion. The draws have been made and the seeds know their way forward. Here are the sixteen seeds for the Monte Carlo Masters.
- Novak Djokovic – Rank 1 – Seed 1
- Stefanos Tsitsipas – Rank 3 – Seed 2
- Daniil Medvedev – Rank 4 – Seed 3
- Casper Ruud – Rank 5 – Seed 4
- Andry Rublev – Rank 6 – Seed 5 (Champion 2023)
- Holger Rune – Rank 8 – Seed 6
- Jannik Sinner – Rank 9 – Seed 7
- Taylor Fritz – Rank 10 – Seed 8
- Karen Khachanov – Rank 11 – Seed 9
- Hubert Hurkacz -Rank 12 – Seed 10
- Cameron Norrie – Rank 13 – Seed 11
- Frances Tiafoe – Rank 15 – Seed 12
- Alexander Zverev – Rank 16 – Seed 13
- Alex de Minaur – Rank 19 – Seed 14
- Borna Coric – Rank 20 – Seed 15
- Lorenzo Musettl – Rank 21 – Seed 16
Monte Carlo Masters 2023 Top Seeds in Perspective
Novak Djokovic (Eliminated Third Round)
At the age of 35, Novak Djokovic is still going strong. The Serbian ace sits at the top of the ATP rankings despite only participating in three competitions in 2023. He triumphed in the Adelaide Open and Australian Open and succumbed to Daniil Medvedev in the Dubai Open.
Thanks to his vaccination stance, he did not participate in the Sunshine Double in the US despite requesting for a special waiver. It did not go according to his plans and moved to the number 2 ranking after Carlos Alcaraz’s success at Indian Wells. He regained top billing after the young Spaniard failed to defend his Miami Open title.
Results and Analysis
First Round: Djokovic – Bye
Second Round: Djokovic defeated Gakhov
Third Round: Musetti defeated Djokovic
Stefanos Tsitsipas (Eliminated Quarter-Finals)
The Greek ace is the reigning Monte Carlo Masters champion and would be seeking his third successive triumph here. It has been a year of ups and downs for Tsitsipas. He has held his end of the bargain with impressive performances in the United Cup and Davis Cup. Moreover, the 24-year-old made it to the final of the Australian Open but could not get past Djokovic.
Since his outstanding performance in Melbourne Park, it has been a downhill drive for him. Jannik Sinner booted him from Rotterdam while 84-ranked Jordan Thompson ended his Indian Wells bid at the first hurdle. Miami Open did not fare differently as well. He was routed by Karen Khachanov in Round 3 after getting a walkover against Richard Gasquet and being made to work hard by Cristian Garin.
Results and Analysis
First Round: Tsitsipas – Bye
Second Round: Tsitsipas defeated Bonzi
Third Round: Tsitsipas defeated Jarry
Quarter-Finals: Fritz defeated Tsitsipas
Last match: Taylor Fritz vs Stefanos Tsitsipas
The defending champion has had an easy run at Monte Carlo Masters so far. In Tayor Fritz, he has his toughest assignment of the tournament. The American lumbered to a win over Lehecka and will need to be at his best if he was to equalize on his 2-3 losing record to Tsitsipas. After losing the earlier exchanges against Fritz, the Greek ace has won the last three bouts between them.
Daniil Medvedev (Eliminated Quarter-Finals)
The year continues to improve for the tireless Daniil Medvedev. Djokovic stood in his way in the Adelaide Open semi-finals and he was knocked out in the third round of the Australian Open. He has not looked back since then and is beckoning on entering the record books at the Monte Carlo Masters.
With the exception of the absent Carlos Alcaraz, anyone who has stood in his way, has crumbled. He was triumphant in Rotterdam, Doha, Dubai and Miami. He also made it to the finals of Indian Wells where he finished as runner ups. He has made history with five successive competition finals and will be a force to reckon with.
Results and Analysis
First Round: Medvedev – Bye
Second Round: Medvedev defeated Sonego
Third Round: Medvedev defeated Zverev
Quarter-Finals: Rune defeated Medvedev
Last match: Daniil Medvedev vs Holger Rune
The Russian ace saved two match points against Alexander Zverev to book his place in the Monte Carlo Masters. He is two steps away from a history-making sixth successive ATP tournament final. Holger Rune stands in his way and it will be interesting how the 19-year-old Dane rises to the occasion in front of a packed crowd.
Casper Ruud (Eliminated Third Round)
The Norwegian was close to claiming the number 1 ranking at the start of the year but it has not panned out as he had hoped. He has struggled to give a good account of himself with less-than-stellar performances. It started with a first-round defeat to Laslo Djere in Auckland while preparing for the Australian Open.
He has only managed one victory before bowing out in each of the four competitions that followed, including the Australian Open. Ruud did show signs of a resurgence at ATP Estoril, adding the title and much-needed 250 points to his tally after defeating Miomir Kecmanovic in the final. He will be gunning to make a comeback at the event, one which he deservedly needs.
Results and Analysis
First Round: Ruud – Bye
Second Round: Ruud defeated Van De Zandschulp
Third Round: Struff defeated Ruud
Andrey Rublev (Champion)
The 25-year-old Russian is part of a four-man pack trying to break into the top five. He is under pressure from Jannik Sinner, Rune Holger and Felix Auger-Aliassime and will prefer the clay courts that help his playing style. Rublev has a marker on his back and has the tools to stave off the competition and force his way.
The 2023 campaign has seen him come close to silverware but has had tough rivals standing in his way. Djokovic knocked him out of the Australian Open quarter-finals while compatriot Medvedev denied him the Dubai Open crown. He faltered in the Round 3 of both the Indian Wells and Miami Open and will be backing himself to go further in the Monte Carlo Masters.
Results and Analysis
First Round: Rublev – Bye
Second Round: Rublev defeated Munar
Third Round: Rublev defeated Khachanov
Quarter-Finals: Rublev defeated Jan-Lennard Struff
Semi-Finals: Rublev defeated Fritz
Final: Rublev defeated Rune
Final: Andrey Rublev defeats Holger Rune
Fans saw an epic battle in the Monte Carlo Masters final. Both Andrey Rublev and Holger Rune were at each other’s throats for the duration of the game. It was the Russian who curried the favour of the gods and triumphed over the Dane to claim his maiden ATP 1000 title.
It was a nervous start for Rublev who afforded Rune a serve-break opportunity in his first game. He saved it to make it 1-1 and would get two chances to take the lead himself but was denied by his 19-year-old rival. Rune did not take mercy on Rublev next time, converting his third breakpoint to make it 4-2.
There was more drama later on as the Danish ace was broken in the next game. He would have been trailing Rublev on his next serve but saved the breakpoint. When afforded the opportunity, Rune converted on the first setpoint opportunity to take the first set 7-5.
Rublev came out swinging in the second set against a complacent Rune. The Russian converted three of the five breakpoint chances to take the set 6-2. The momentum had shifted in favour of the 27-year-old who took the deciding set despite going behind early. Rublev rallied from being 4-2 down to be crowned the Monte Carlo Masters champion with a 5-7 score.
Subscribe to Punditfeed on Google News for all the latest updates from the world of sports!
