On Thursday, Carlos Alcaraz secured his second victory at the ATP Masters 1000 Monte-Carlo. After opening the tournament with a win over Francisco Cerundolo, he cruised past Daniel Altmaier 6-3, 6-1 in the round of 16. With these performances, the young Spanish star reached an impressive mark that places him ahead of Novak Djokovic.

With his run in Monte-Carlo, Alcaraz reached 100 tour-level matches played on clay. And upon entering that group, he became the player with the highest win percentage on the surface, surpassing Djokovic and other top names, according to the official ATP Tour website.

It’s an impressive achievement, especially considering the Spaniard’s young age. Just a month shy of turning 22, Carlos has already claimed 17 career titles—8 of them on clay. In fact, his first professional match win came on clay at the ATP 500 in Rio in 2020, when he defeated Albert Ramos-Vinolas at just 16 years old.

From that point on, Alcaraz has carved out an extraordinary path. His first tour-level title came on clay in Umag in 2021. That was followed by Rio, Barcelona, and Madrid in 2022; Buenos Aires, Barcelona, and Madrid in 2023; and Roland Garros in 2024.

Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz

Alcaraz feels at home on clay

After his Monte-Carlo debut win against Francisco Cerundolo, Carlos Alcaraz signed “I missed clay” on the TV camera. Asked about the message during his post-match press conference, the Spanish player was candid.

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“Previously I said that clay was my second favourite surface after fast courts, but now I’m not sure,” he said. “I think now I’d say it’s my favourite. I simply missed clay. I love this part of the year, I grew up on this surface, so that’s why I’d put it first.”

What’s next for Alcaraz?

Having acknowledged how comfortable he feels on clay, this stretch of the season becomes especially important for Carlos Alcaraz as he aims to catch Jannik Sinner at the top of the ATP rankings. Monte-Carlo marks the beginning of a lengthy slate of clay tournaments where Carlos will have a chance to make up ground. He’s set to continue his campaign in Barcelona, then Madrid and Rome, before arriving at the second Grand Slam of the year: Roland Garros.

However, for that pursuit to succeed, Alcaraz will need to take it step by step. Next up on that journey: the Monte-Carlo quarterfinals. After victories over Francisco Cerundolo and Daniel Altmaier, the young Spaniard will face Arthur Fils on Friday morning.