Carlos Alcaraz feels being back to his natural habitat as he gets his clay court season underway at Monte Carlo

Carlos Alcaraz is looking for his third Masters 1000 title on clay and the first in Monte Carlo Rolex Masters.

Carlos Alcaraz feels being back to his natural habitat as he gets his clay court season underway at Monte Carlo

Carlos Alcaraz (via Instagram/ Carlos Alcaraz)

Despite finding incredible success on all surfaces, Carlos Alcaraz is happy to be back on the red clay. The Spaniard, from a country known for producing many legendary clay court players, believes that clay brings out the best in him.

Although he has won most of his titles on hard courts, Alcaraz feels that clay courts create real battles, which help him improve as a player. The former World No. 1 is fascinated by the “long rallies” and “dirty socks” that come with the clay season.

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I think the tough battles, and as I say, you know, the serve is not as important probably as on hard court, so I think that’s pretty good for me. I think we playing.. you know.. almost every point, so we can’t make a lot of points or free points with the serve, so that makes you develop the point even more than probably other surfaces. Yeah, long rallies.. get the socks dirty a little bit. You know, that’s what I miss.. to watch good tennis. I think, you know, on clay you can watch the real tennis, because as I said, it’s not only watching big serves or whatever, or points, you know, and just one or two shots. On clay you see long rallies. For example, yesterday, 48 rallies. That’s what I like, watching tennis and playing here on clay.

Carlos Alcaraz said in his post-match press conference at Monte Carlo

Alcaraz is a four-time Grand Slam champion, but he has only one Roland Garros title. In fact, most of his Grand Slam success has come at Wimbledon, where Spaniards have not traditionally performed well.

He has also won two Masters 1000 titles on clay, both at the Madrid Open. Now, he is aiming to win his first Monte Carlo title and the sixth Masters 1000 title of his career.

Carlos Alcaraz secures maiden Monte Carlo win

World No.3 Carlos Alcaraz earned his first win at the Monte Carlo Masters on Wednesday after a slow start. The 21-year-old came back strong to beat Francisco Cerundolo 3-6, 6-0, 6-1 and move into the third round. He made a key change in his return position, which helped him land more first serves and turn the match around in just over 90 minutes.

Carlos Alcaraz Monte Carlo Masters 2025
Carlos Alcaraz (via Instagram/Carlos Alcaraz)

In the first set, Cerundolo used his strong forehand and long backhand rallies to trouble Alcaraz. He outplayed the Spaniard by staying solid during the exchanges. But once Alcaraz stepped in and attacked the returns more aggressively, the match shifted in his favor.

Alcaraz was trying to avoid losing three matches in a row on the ATP Tour for the first time since 2023. He stepped up in the second set, saving two break points in the first game. A powerful running forehand winner gave him the momentum he needed.

From there, Alcaraz took control and didn’t look back. The win also extended his perfect record against Cerundolo to 3-0 in their head-to-head meetings.

Carlos Alcaraz will meet Daniel Altmaier next

Spanish tennis star Carlos Alcaraz will face Daniel Altmaier in the third round of the Monte Carlo Masters. Altmaier reached this stage by beating Richard Gasquet in a close match, 7-5, 5-7, 6-2. Gasquet, who plans to retire after Roland Garros, played in Monte Carlo for the last time. He first appeared at the event in 2002 as a 15-year-old.

Carlos Alcaraz Louis Vuitton[Extended]- the Podcast
Carlos Alcaraz (image via Louis Vuitton[Extended]- the Podcast)

Gasquet, now 38, was hoping to become the second-oldest player to reach the round of 16 at a Masters 1000 tournament. But Altmaier stepped up in the final set, serving very well and dropping only one of his first 20 serves.

In other matches, Casper Ruud started strong with a solid win over Roberto Bautista Agut. The fourth seed won 6-2, 6-1 in just over an hour. Ruud, last year’s finalist, is still chasing his first Masters 1000 title.

Next, Ruud will take on Alexei Popyrin. The Australian beat Frances Tiafoe in three sets, 3-6, 6-3, 6-3. Popyrin won his first Masters 1000 title last year in Montreal and will look to keep that form going.