Carlos Alcaraz will hope to start his clay-court campaign on the right foot at the Monte Carlo Masters.
Alcaraz is the defending champion in Monaco, and he will be hopeful of defending his title after receiving a satisfactory draw at the event.
The Spaniard has lost two of his last three matches; while his biggest rival, Jannik Sinner, recently completed the ‘Sunshine Double’ by winning Indian Wells and the Miami Open.
Who will win the 2026 Monte Carlo Masters?
Vote now!
The Italian, who has been tipped by Tennishead readers to win the Monte Carlo title, has left his great rival somewhat surprised ahead of the Monegasque event.
Carlos Alcaraz left ‘surprised’ by Jannik Sinner’s participation in Monte Carlo
Jannik Sinner has played a lot more matches than Carlos Alcaraz over the past month.
Including doubles, Sinner played 13 ATP matches during March – six more than Carlos Alcaraz.
“It honestly surprised me that Jannik, after Indian Wells and Miami, came to play in Monte Carlo,” Alcaraz admitted during his pre-tournament media duties ahead of the Monte Carlo Masters.
“This shows the great physical condition he’s in, what he can do.
“I hope we can face each other here, we didn’t even play one time this season, I hope it happens in clay season!”
Sinner will begin his Monte Carlo campaign against Frenchman Hugo Humbert.
Humbert, the world number 34, defeated French youngster Moise Kouame in his Monte Carlo first round match on Sunday.
If Sinner were to defeat Humbert, he would most likely face Francisco Cerundolo or Stefanos Tsitsipas in the third round.
As for Alcaraz, he will play Sebastian Baez or three-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka in the Monte Carlo second round.
How will Carlos Alcaraz fare after receiving this draw in Monte-Carlo?
It's far easier than Jannik Sinner's…
Wawrinka, who is set to retire from his playing career at the end of this year, has expressed his desire to play Alcaraz; and the pair practised together ahead of the Monegasque event.
Carlos Alcaraz cheers on David Goffin
In a show of exceptional sportsmanship, Carlos Alcaraz took the time to attend David Goffin’s Monte Carlo tribute after the Belgian’s final match at the event.
Alcaraz, the world number one, was spotted by Tennis TV applauding his Belgian counterpart from above the court on which Goffin was playing on.
Goffin, who defeated Ignacio Buse in round one, was beaten by American Emilio Nava in the Monte Carlo second round.
Remarkably, Goffin is one of the few players on the ATP Tour who has a winning record against Alcaraz.
Alcaraz defeated Goffin in their first meeting at the 2021 Adelaide International.
David Goffin’s record vs Carlos Alcaraz
- Alcaraz defeated Goffin 6-3, 6-3 at the 2021 Adelaide International
- Goffin defeated Alcaraz 7-5, 6-3 at the 2022 Astana Open
- Goffin defeated Alcaraz 5-7, 6-4, 6-3 at the 2025 Miami Open
However, Goffin has since defeated Alcaraz at the 2022 Astana Open and 2025 Miami Open.
