Casper Ruud calls Carlos Alcaraz ‘big’ threat ahead of potential clash at Monte Carlo Masters
Carlos Alcaraz is participating in the Monte Carlo Masters for the first time since 2022 and is bidding to win his first title.
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Casper Ruud, Carlos Alcaraz (Image via X/The Tennis Letter, Carlos Alcaraz Brasil)
Casper Ruud and Carlos Alcaraz are in Monte Carlo participating in the first Masters 1000 of the clay season. Ruud could meet Alcaraz if both the players reach the semifinals.
As per Ruud, Alcaraz is the biggest threat in the tournament. Alcaraz has never won the Monte Carlo Masters and has made only his second appearance as he skipped the last two editions due to injuries.
I think in my eyes, Carlos is a big threat. He has won Roland Garros, won Madrid a couple of times. He knows how to shape a ball on clay.
Casper Ruud told Sky Sports
Alcaraz has established himself as one of the best players on clay in recent years, having bagged eight titles, which is two more than what he lifted on hard courts and five more than his win on the grass. Last year, he beat Alexander Zverev in five sets to emerge victorious at the French Open for the first time in his career.
Before this season, Alcaraz made his debut in the tournament back in 2022 where Sebastian Korda knocked him out in his first match. In the ongoing tournament, the Spaniard came from a set down to knock out Francisco Cerundolo. Ruud, on the other hand, breezed past Roberto Bautista Agut.
If Alcaraz meets the Norwegian in the semifinal, then it will be their sixth encounter on the tour. The four-time Grand Slam champion is 4-1 against the World No.7 but was defeated in their last encounter in the round-robin stage of last year’s ATP Finals.
Ruud, the two-time French Open finalist, is chasing his first title in the tournament and came close to winning the trophy last year. He progressed to the final but Stefanos Tsitsipas denied him the win in straight sets.
Patrick Mouratoglou makes his feelings known on Carlos Alcaraz’s failure to dethrone Jannik Sinner
Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev couldn’t capitalize on Jannik Sinner‘s three-month doping ban as they both produced inconsistent performances since the Australian Open. Zverev suffered a massive dip in his form, but Alcaraz, after winning the Rotterdam Open, made deep runs in several tournaments but failed to lift a title.
For the first time since 2021, Alcaraz entered the clay swing without winning either Indian Wells or the Miami Open. At Indian Wells, he would have become the third ATP player to complete a three-peat after Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic but he fell in four sets in the semifinal against eventual winner Jack Draper.
Had Alcaraz completed the Sunshine Double, he would have replaced Zverev in the second position. Serena Williams‘ former coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, gave his verdict on Zverev and Alcaraz’s failure to win titles and reduce the gap in ranking points.
For Jannik, there’s already some good news: during his absence, no one stole his place. Novak reached a final but didn’t win it. Carlos and Alexander didn’t play well. If Alcaraz had won Indian Wells and Miami, which is within his capabilities, he would have faced Sinner’s return with more confidence.
Patrick Mouratoglou told Corriere della Sera
Alcaraz has the chance to remove the German from the second spot. He has 6,820 points in the live rankings, while Zverev has 7,595. Sinner continues to sit on top with 9,930 points after losing 400 points for not playing in the tournament (he lost to eventual winner Stefanos Tsitsipas in the semifinal last year).
Sinner will make his comeback at the Italian Open as his ban ends on May 4. He will next participate at the Hamburg European Open before kick-starting his campaign for the French Open where he lost to Alcaraz in the semifinal last year.
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