Carlos Alcaraz is on a mission at the Monte Carlo Masters, where he has stormed into the quarter-finals.
Alcaraz has made just one Monte Carlo Masters appearance prior to this year, losing in his opening match to Sebastian Korda in 2022.
The ATP number three was ruled out of the 2023 and 2024 editions through injury, but is now looking strong on the clay in Monaco.
Alcaraz has picked up two wins at this year’s Monte Carlo Masters, having been handed a bye in the first round of the clay-court event.
He then beat Francisco Cerundolo in round two and Daniel Altmaier in round three, with Arthur Fils now up next in the quarter-finals.
Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images
And after initial struggles in Monaco, the four-time Grand Slam champion is feeling good, having spoken to Tennis Channel after his latest win.
“I felt great,” said Alcaraz. “This is the first time on clay that I have had one week, or a week-and-a-half to prepare for this tournament.
“It is a process just to keep going every day and try and get better and better. The first round was a bit tricky for me, struggling a little bit with the game.
“And I think today I just felt much better. Hopefully when you are in the quarter-final it gets better and I feel much better. I think it’s about time you spend on the court.”
Alcaraz is the second seed at the Monte Carlo Masters, where world number one Jannik Sinner remains absent due to his ban.
World number two Alexander Zverev meanwhile was the top seed, but lost his opener to Matteo Berrettini.
That means Alcaraz has a superb chance to make a real move in the ATP Tour rankings, along with an ATP Masters 1000 title.
If the Spaniard wins the Monte Carlo Masters, he will overtake Zverev into world number two, and will remain in number three if he falls short.
ATPCarlos AlcarazMonte Carlo Masters
