Carlos Alcaraz just secured his first win of the 2025 clay court season in Monte-Carlo.
The world number three won his first career indoor hard-court title earlier this year when Alcaraz beat Alex de Minaur in Rotterdam.
Outdoors, it’s fair to say Alcaraz underdelivered compared to previous years, failing to pick up a title at either Sunshine Double tournament for the first time since 2021.
Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images
Now transitioning to clay courts, the Spaniard will no doubt hope to rediscover the form that saw him win the French Open last year.
Playing his first match on clay this year, Alcaraz took down Francisco Cerundolo in the second round of the Monte-Carlo Masters.
Speaking after the match, the 21-year-old ATP star gave his honest opinion on clay courts and revealed whether he prefers the surface to hard courts.
Alcaraz beat Cerundolo, 3-6, 6-0, 6-1, to win his first-ever match in the principality, advancing to the third round, where he’ll face off against world number 84, Daniel Altmaier.
During his on-court interview, Alcaraz was asked whether clay is now his favorite surface.
“I always said until now I would put it second; I prefer to play on hard court,” he said.
“Right now, I don’t know, I think I would put it first.
“I missed the clay court season. Since the Olympics, I haven’t played on clay, and I think I love this part of the year.
Photo by VALERY HACHE/AFP via Getty Images
“I love watching the Masters here on clay. I grew up on this surface, so I am going to put it first.”
Alcaraz has won three of his nine ‘big’ titles on clay, one less than his tally on hard courts.
TitleTierSurface2024 WimbledonGrand SlamGrass2024 French OpenGrand SlamClay2024 Indian WellsMasters 1000Hard2023 WimbledonGrand SlamGrass2023 Madrid OpenMasters 1000Clay2023 Indian WellsMasters 1000Hard2022 US OpenGrand SlamHard2022 Madrid OpenMasters 1000Clay2022 Miami OpenMasters 1000Hard
Carlos Alcaraz’s ‘big titles’
Alcaraz’s win over Alexander Zverev in last year’s French Open final highlighted his clay-court prowess as he lifted the title at Roland Garros for the first time.
The Spaniard will look to continue his charge towards a fourth big clay title in Monte-Carlo when he takes on Altmaier in the third round on Thursday, April 10.
Alcaraz has impressively won titles on all three surfaces, but has he performed better on clay, grass, or hard?
The stats show his grass court performances outshine his efforts on clay and grass, having won Wimbledon in 2023 and 2024.
SurfaceWin %Win/Loss recordGrand Slam titlesGrass8924-32 – (2023, 2024 Wimbledon)Clay8281-181 – (2024 French Open)Hard75119-391 – (2022 US Open)
Carlos Alcaraz’s performances ranked on clay/grass/hard
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Of the two surfaces he competes on the most, Alcaraz enjoys more success on the clay, winning 82% of his matches.
It remains to be seen how the Spaniard will perform on the three surfaces this year, although he certainly couldn’t have started any better than with a big win on the clay.
Number one seed Zverev lost to Matteo Berrettini in his opening match at the Monte-Carlo Masters as he continues to struggle for form in 2025.
Photo by VALERY HACHE/AFP via Getty Images
The result leaves the German vulnerable to Alcaraz in the chase for second place in the ATP rankings.
A title for Alcaraz in the principality would see him snatch the number two ranking from Zverev by 125 points.
He could then set his sights on world number one Jannik Sinner, who is set to return from his three-month suspension in May.
RankNamePointsPoints gap to #11Jannik Sinner9,930–2*Carlos Alcaraz7,7202,2103Alexander Zverev7,5952,3354Taylor Fritz5,2804,6505Novak Djokovic4,1205,810
Live ATP rankings if Carlos Alcaraz wins the Monte-Carlo Masters
Chasing down Sinner will likely be tough for Alcaraz, with significant points to defend over the next few months, but it would be dangerous to bet against the 21-year-old Spaniard.
He won’t want to get ahead of himself, however, and will first look to make his way through to the quarterfinals in Monte-Carlo with a win over Altmaier.
