The first big event on clay took place this past week, as the Monte-Carlo Masters proved to be as exciting as tennis fans had hoped. We witnessed some intriguing moments, including the return to form for Carlos Alcaraz, who claimed the title. Plenty of other things happened this week, so keep reading to find out all the details and what’s coming up next.
Champions corner
The only event that awarded a trophy this week in tennis was the Monte-Carlo Masters. Most of those who were eligible to play participated, with both Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz attending the event.
Djokovic didn’t have a good time, losing in his first match there to Alejandro Tabilo, who also stunned him in Rome last year. The Chilean is now 2-0 against Djokovic—a bizarre stat you might not have known.
Carlos Alcaraz ended up being the champion, which is a remarkable achievement purely because he played very lackluster tennis all week. Quite a few of his wins were close calls, especially against Arthur Fils, but he still managed to secure the title.
Alcaraz expresses relief
Alcaraz has had a tough month, and we know that because he said it. Speaking after the Monte-Carlo Masters final, in which he bested Lorenzo Musetti of Italy, the Spaniard admitted that he had a difficult month both on the court – true, as he played some lousy tennis – and off the court, which wasn’t previously known.
Alcaraz rarely talks about his private life, and when he does, it’s usually all sunshine and roses. Not anymore, it seems, though he didn’t really go into depth about it either.
“It’s been a tough month for me, on and off the court,” he said.
“I don’t wanna say in public, but I was struggling stepping on the court. It’s been difficult to find a way to not think about everything.”
Novak Djokovic continues to ‘Not Djokovic’
Novak Djokovic hasn’t quite been himself this year, with a few lackluster showings so far. While his Miami Open run was a return to form of sorts, the Serbian still didn’t win it, which some saw as another setback since ultimately winning the trophy is what matters most.
As for Monte Carlo—whatever that was—it wasn’t good tennis, and it wasn’t good Djokovic. He apologized to the fans who had to witness his performance but seemed relaxed about it overall, admitting that while it wasn’t great, the goal remains Roland-Garros, and he’s going to work hard.
Time will tell whether he will return to his familiar form, but this first stint on clay was anything but impressive.
#Fedback “back on” as Federer teases return to tennis
Roger Federer hasn’t been spotted on a tennis court since London a few years ago, where he retired. He might be coming back sometime in the future, as he admitted that he hopes to take up the racket more seriously and fill stadiums with exhibitions.
He didn’t make any promises or major announcements, but he confirmed that it’s something he wants to do, which is great news for all us tennis nerds.
Roger Federer wants to play exhibitions & fill stadiums around the world:
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) April 12, 2025
“I’d love to start playing 2 or 3 times a week & hopefully get myself back on the exhibition court. Maybe fill up a few nice stadiums around the world.” ?
(via @tntsports)
pic.twitter.com/qqmpXqib6p
Rafa Junior numero dos
Rafael Nadal has one child, but he’ll have two this time next year because his wife is pregnant again. The happy news was shared with the world in the past week. The Big Three family is growing, as Nadal will now become the third member of that historic trio to be a father to at least two children.
Coming up this week
Finally, we’re going to take a look at what awaits us next week, and it’s a very interesting week of tennis on both the ATP and the WTA tours. After the Billie Jean King Cup week, WTA tennis resumes in all its glory with the iconic event in Stuttgart. There’s also one in Rouen, and a smaller one in Oeiras.
On the men’s side of the sport, there are two events coming up this week. There’s an event in Munich, and another in Barcelona, which has historically been a really strong tournament and will be this year as well, with Alcaraz, Ruud, Tsitsipas, Rublev, and Alex de Minaur all set to play there.
