Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner have remained the dominant forces on the ATP Tour at the start of this year.
Alcaraz began the year by winning 16 consecutive matches, culminating in him capturing his first title at the Australian Open and Qatar Open.
Jannik Sinner quickly responded, becoming only the eighth man in history to win the ‘Sunshine’ Double’ after winning Indian Wells and the Miami Open.
Are you still confident Jannik Sinner can win the Monte-Carlo Masters after receiving this TOUGH draw?
The Tour has now transitioned to clay courts: a surface both Alcaraz and Sinner have enjoyed success on in the past.
However, could another ATP star challenge Alcaraz and Sinner’s dominance on the red dirt?
Riccardo Piatti believes Alexander Zverev is the only player who can challenge Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner on clay
Riccardo Piatti, the former coach of Novak Djokovic, has discussed the gap between Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, and the rest of the ATP Tour field.
Jannik Sinner, the world number two, has an astonishing 7,195-point lead over Alexander Zverev in the world number three spot.
ATP top five ranked players
- Carlos Alcaraz – 13,590
- Jannik Sinner – 12,400
- Alexander Zverev – 5,205
- Novak Djokovic – 4,720
- Lorenzo Musetti – 4,265
However, despite the gap, Piatti believes Zverev is the man to challenge Alcaraz and Sinner on the clay.
“It was the same during Federer’s time,” Piatti told Corriere della Sera while speaking about points gap between Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner and the rest of the ATP Tour.
“For me, the only one who can challenge those two on clay is Zverev.
“He’s a hard worker, but he never changes his mind: having his father as a coach is fine, he’s happy with it, but maybe having a coach who tells him something different wouldn’t hurt.
“On clay, I also expect good things from [Lorenzo Musetti] who always plays well in Paris.”
Zverev is seeded third in Paris and will face Cristian Garin or Matteo Arnaldi in the second round.
Should Zverev advance, he would likely face Andrey Rublev in the third round.
As for Alcaraz and Sinner, the Italian will play Ugo Humbert in the second round, while Alcaraz will face either Sebastian Baez or Stan Wawrinka.
How will Carlos Alcaraz fare after receiving this draw in Monte-Carlo?
It's far easier than Jannik Sinner's…
Alexander Zverev’s clay-court record
For a player standing at six feet, six inches tall, Alexander Zverev’s record on clay is incredibly impressive.
Tall players have historically struggled on the surface due to their higher centre of gravity and an over-reliance on their first serve.
However, Zverev has had no such trouble throughout the course of his career, amassing an impressive record on the red dirt.
Nine of Zverev’s 24 ATP Tour titles have come on clay, including two triumphs at the Madrid Open – a Masters 1000 event.
The German star has also reached the French Open semi-finals on three occasions, and the final once.
At the 2024 French Open, Zverev came agonisingly close to winning his first Grand Slam title.
The German defeated Rafael Nadal, Holger Rune and Casper Ruud on his way to the final, setting up a meeting with Carlos Alcaraz.
Zverev looked set to claim his first major title after establishing a two-sets-to-one lead over the Spaniard.
However, Alcaraz roared back to claim his first title in Paris, winning the contest 6-3, 2-6, 5-7, 6-1, 6-2.
