The World No. 1 returns to action at this week’s Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters for his first tournament since Dubai.
There is plenty at stake for Novak Djokovic in the Principality, where he is a two-time champion. The 35-year-old not only has an opportunity to claim a record-extending 39th ATP Masters 1000 title, but he can also return to top spot in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin by capturing the crown.
Djokovic will be especially hungry to make his mark in Monte-Carlo. The top seed has not advanced past the quarter-finals at the season’s first clay-court Masters 1000 event since 2015, when he won the title.
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“I have done more training on clay, which is positive if you think about the clay season,” Djokovic said. “I have not had much success in Monte-Carlo in the past two seasons. I haven’t played great tennis here, so I am hoping this year I can start the clay season better than in previous years and build my form.”
The Serbian will try to surge to immediate glory, but plenty of players will try to step up and stop him in his tracks. The man who defeated Djokovic in Dubai, Daniil Medvedev, leads the Tour with four trophies in 2023 and is fresh off earning glory in Miami. Stefanos Tsitsipas has won the past two editions of the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters.
And that is not all. Other players to watch include potential Djokovic quarter-final opponent Jannik Sinner, the Miami finalist, and fourth seed Casper Ruud, last year’s Roland Garros runner-up.
Photo/NovakDjokovic/X
ATP Tour contributed to this column
