Rory McIlroy Prioritized the Monte Carlo Semifinals Ahead of the Masters Championships: “Distraction is a Good Thing”

Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz won their respective semi-finals at Monte Carlo to advance to the finals.

Rory McIlroy Prioritized the Monte Carlo Semifinals Ahead of the Masters Championships: “Distraction is a Good Thing”

Rory McIlroy (Image via Instagram/@pgatour)

In Short
  • Rory McIlroy is watching the Monte Carlo Masters semi-finals to distract himself before The Masters.
  • Carlos Alcaraz is the defending champion and favorite to win the Monte Carlo Masters, currently on a 15-match winning streak on clay.
  • Jannik Sinner is on a 20-match winning streak and aims for his third consecutive tour-level final at the tournament.

Golf legend Rory McIlroy recently claimed that the Rolex Monte Carlo Masters could be the key to his success at The Masters. The golfer had a morning of rest after claiming his place in the third round at Augusta National, which gave him the time and opportunity to watch the semi-final ties of the ATP 1000 event in Monaco.

The third round at Augusta National did not start until Saturday afternoon (April 11) in Georgia. That left him with hours of free time to sit around and potentially overthink the course. Instead, he chose to turn on the TV and watch the Monte Carlo Masters semi-final clashes. Monaco, being six hours ahead of Augusta, gave him the perfect window to follow the matches in the morning.

The semi-final clashes in Monte Carlo saw Carlos Alcaraz face Valentin Vacherot, while Jannik Sinner took on Alexander Zverev. Sinner and Zverev went on court first at the Monte Carlo Country Club, before Alcaraz faced the home favorite later in the day.

Sinner had been on a 20-match winning streak on tour and had lost just one set since March, as he looked to reach his third consecutive tour-level final after winning Indian Wells and the Miami Open. Zverev, meanwhile, was playing in his first semi-final at the Monte Carlo Masters and had reached the last four in four of his previous five tournaments, showing strong form.

Both Sinner and Alcaraz ultimately won their respective semi-final matches and progressed to the final. After McIlroy finished his second round with a six-stroke lead in the iconic golf tournament, he told the press that he planned to watch the Monte Carlo Masters semi-finals as a way to avoid overthinking the course:

I’ll probably try to keep my mind off it. That distraction is usually a good thing for me, especially with a late tee time and the lead. So yeah, there are actually two really good semi-finals at Monte-Carlo in tennis, so I’ll watch that. I think it’s Sinner and Zverev, and Vacherot and Alcaraz, so I’ll watch those. We’ve been watching the tennis early in the mornings, so I’ll do that.

Alcaraz is the favorite to win the Monte Carlo Masters, having won it last season. The World No.1 currently holds a 15-match winning streak on clay. The last time he lost a match was at the Barcelona Open last year. However, Vacherot, who prefers to win the Monte Carlo rather than a Grand Slam, will hope to cause an upset.

Carlos Alcaraz proud of his excellent performance in the quarter-finals of Monte Carlo

Carlos Alcaraz looks back at his best following his disappointing third-round exit to Sebastian Korda in Miami last month. He has looked comfortable on his return to clay this week at the Monte Carlo Masters. He defeated Sebastian Baez and Tomas Martin Etcheverry before crushing Alexander Bublik in the quarter-finals.

Carlos Alcaraz
Carlos Alcaraz (Image via X/CARLOS ALCARAZ NEWS)

The Spaniard was broken in the first set against Bublik but still maintained his momentum and went on to crush the Kazakhstan star 6-3, 6-0, claiming their first meeting on tour. The win was his 300th tour-level match victory. He revealed after the match that he’s proud of his performance and confidence on the court:

I started the match pretty well. I had points to be two breaks up and didn’t make it and then I lost a bit of the feeling on the ball. I had to run side to side a lot, had to defend and then a few games gave me a lot of confidence in the match. I was playing aggressively and I played a great and solid match against a player whose performance you don’t know what they will produce next. I am happy to get through and to play another semi-final here.

Alcaraz is now two wins from successfully defending the Monte Carlo Masters, having beaten Lorenzo Musetti in the championship match last year to triumph at the ATP 1000 tournament for the first time in his career. Also, he has to win the title to continue his stay at the top of the ATP rankings.

Also Read: Jannik Sinner Doing Something ‘Crazy’ As He’s Inching Closer to Stunning Novak Djokovic Record