Carlos Alcaraz is anticipated to fly to Moncao on Saturday to begin his clay court docket marketing campaign for 2025 and he couldn’t have been handed a more durable activity after the draw was made for the Monte-Carlo Masters.
Alcaraz has an enormous probability to make a leap up the ATP Rankings over the following few weeks as he missed final yr’s Monte-Carlo Masters and Barcelona Open attributable to harm.
With 1,500 rating factors up for grabs in these occasions, he shall be eager to make an enormous impression in the course of the clay court docket season, however the No 2 see in Monte-Carlo has been handed arguably the hardest draw doable.
Assuming Argentina’s Francisco Cerundolo come by way of his first spherical match towards Italian veteran Fabio Fognini, he’ll face Alcaraz within the second spherical and that might be an enormous take a look at for the reigning French Open champion in his opening clay court docket match of the yr.
World No 23 Cerundolo is a clay court docket specialist and he confirmed he’s in prime kind after wins towards Tommy Paul and Casper Ruud ultimately month’s Miami Open.
He beat Alex de Minaur on the Indian Wells Masters, additionally performed final month, and pushed Alcaraz shut of their quarter-final match in that event.
Taking part in the Spaniard on clay might attraction to Cerundolo after he reached the ultimate of a clay court docket occasion in his Argentine homeland in February and in addition performed clay court docket occasions in Bazil and Rio earlier this yr.
If Alcaraz was to get by way of a possible conflict with Cerundolo, he would face one other harmful clay courter in Italian Matteo Arnaldi, who took at set off him once they met in Indian Wells final month.
Casper Ruud is one other harmful opponent in Alcaraz’s half of the draw, with the Spaniard seeking to bounce again from a disappointing defeat in his opening match on the Miami Open final month.
The four-time Grand Slam champion was brutally trustworthy when he assessed his temper after that match, as he urged he wanted to reset his focus heading into the clay court docket swing on the ATP Tour.
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“It was a poor degree from me,” mentioned Alcaraz after shedding to David Goffin in Miami.
“I simply needed to play higher. After the primary set, I assumed I used to be going to be higher. He performed effectively, he performed good tennis. My degree didn’t enhance. I believe his degree after the primary set elevated just a little bit.
“I didn’t play effectively, bodily I didn’t really feel effectively. Once you don’t have the boldness in your degree bodily, I believe it’s actually robust to keep up good tennis.
“I didn’t really feel effectively in my legs. I wasn’t injured, I wasn’t sick. I used to be feeling good earlier than the match.
“I felt good, just a little bit nervous, which is regular earlier than the match. However nothing greater than that. I simply felt prepared, I assumed that I used to be going to play actually good tennis. It didn’t occur.”
Tennis coach Patrick Mouratoglou, who labored with Serena Williams and is at present teaching four-time Grand Slam winner Naomi Osaka, urged it was stunning Alcaraz was so open in admitting he’s struggling along with his focus because it might give his rivals perception that he could be crushed.
“It was a selection for him to say that. I don’t know if it was good or not,” Mouratoglou advised Tennis365 as he launched his new e book Champion Mindset. “If it helps him to take it out of his system to say it, to confess it, why not?
“Most different gamers wouldn’t say it, that’s his selection. We are going to see how he performs now after he has mentioned this. We are going to see if he feels much less stress now that he has mentioned this, that he admitted his weak point of that second.
“Perhaps the truth that he verbalised it can put extra stress on him, we’ll see. It’s uncommon to listen to this.
“I don’t know if it is a Spanish factor, however I keep in mind that Rafa had a interval in his profession when he was shedding plenty of matches and he was saying that he sort of misplaced his psychological power, he admitted it.
“I used to be very shocked when he mentioned this, really, however then he got here again to his true self and it exhibits that even the good gamers undergo doubts at some factors.
“It was the identical after I began with Serena. She had not received a Grand Slam for 3 years, she misplaced within the first spherical of Roland Garros and it was a troublesome second. Everybody goes by way of this sooner or later of their lives and their profession.”
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