Predictor Picks: Why Alcaraz & Djokovic are great options in Monte-Carlo

ATP Tour

Another week on the ATP Tour, another week to make your PIF ATP Rankings Predictor Picks! All the stars will be in action at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters, where top seed Novak Djokovic and third seed Carlos Alcaraz landed in the same half of the draw.

Jannik Sinner, a semi-finalist last year in Monte-Carlo, will try to maintain his red-hot form after winning the Miami title. Who should you pick for your team this week?

Each tournament week, ATPTour.com will publish PIF ATP Rankings Predictor Picks to help give fans an idea of who it might make sense to pick and why.

Make Your Picks Now!

Carlos Alcaraz — defending 0 points
Any result will be a net positive for Alcaraz in Monte-Carlo, where he did not compete last season. The Spaniard showed in recent weeks that he is back near his best, winning his first title of the season at the ATP Masters 1000 event in Indian Wells.

Alcaraz played in Monte-Carlo for the first time two years ago, losing his opening match to big-hitting American Sebastian Korda. But the 20-year-old has advanced to at least the quarter-finals at each event he has played this season with the exception of Rio de Janeiro, where he was forced to retire just two games into his opening match due to injury.

The No. 3 player in the PIF ATP Rankings will also be comfortable on clay having played two events on the surface after the Australian Open. He is in the same half of the draw as Djokovic, but will open against Felix Auger-Aliassime or a qualifier.

Novak Djokovic — defending 90 points
It is not often Djokovic enters a tournament with only 90 points to defend, but that is the case for the Serbian in the Principality. That is what makes the 36-year-old a good player to pick for the coming week.

Djokovic has not made it past the quarter-finals at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters in seven attempts since his championship run in 2015, but the two-time champion will be eager to find his form this edition. After a semi-final loss at the Australian Open he fell in the third round of Indian Wells to Luca Nardi.

The World No. 1, who is facing an increasing threat for top spot in the PIF ATP Rankings from Jannik Sinner, will try to make a good start to his tournament against Roman Safiullin or a qualifier and could face the player who defeated him last year, Lorenzo Musetti, in the third round again. He has won more than 80 per cent of his career clay-court matches according to Infosys ATP Stats, second-best among active players behind only Rafael Nadal.

Casper Ruud — defending 90 points
While Ruud has not won a title this season, he has shown signs of a return to the level that helped him reach No. 2 in the PIF ATP Rankings. The Norwegian has been focused on increasing his aggression and taking the action to his opponents, leading to an 18-5 start to his season.

Now the 25-year-old is back on his preferred clay, where he has enjoyed plenty of success throughout his career. Ruud has claimed nine of his 10 ATP Tour titles on the surface and won nearly 73 per cent of his matches on it.

A Monte-Carlo semi-finalist in 2021, Ruud will begin his tournament against Alejandro Tabilo or a qualifier. While he is in Alcaraz’s quarter of the draw, Ruud has proven a consistent force on clay throughout his career. Defending only 90 points after a third-round exit last year, there is opportunity for him to improve on that result.

Bonus Ball — Carlos Alcaraz
It is hard to pass on an opportunity to double your points with Alcaraz this week. The Spaniard is guaranteed to earn positive net points no matter how he performs in the Principality.

There is a lot of upside to placing your Bonus Ball on the 20-year-old. If he wins his second ATP Masters 1000 title of the season, you will earn 2,000 points for selecting Alcaraz alone.