Alcaraz ready to fire in Monte-Carlo

Carlos Alcaraz has often produced his best tennis on clay, winning seven of his 13 tour-level titles on the surface.

Ready to begin the European clay swing at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters, Alcaraz admitted he is firing on all fronts and finds the adjustment from hard courts to clay smooth.

“I had a few days off after Miami and started playing on clay a little bit,” Alcaraz said. “I don’t take too many days to play at my best on the surface, so the practise I have done on clay was very good, so hopefully I start the tournament in a good way.”

Alcaraz is set to make just his second appearance at the clay-court ATP Masters 1000 event, having fallen in the second round in 2022. The Spaniard, who is in the same half as Novak Djokovic, will begin against Felix Auger-Aliassime or a qualifier.

“I am really happy to be here in Monte-Carlo,” Alcaraz said. “It is a really beautiful tournament. I watched this tournament many times since I was a little kid. I just played once. It didn’t go well in 2022 but I am really excited to start the tournament here and see how it is going to be. I am really happy about it. Hopefully I do a good run here, make the final rounds. This tournament is tough. Many difficult players.”

The 20-year-old Spaniard arrives in Monte-Carlo at No. 3 in the PIF ATP Rankings after Jannik Sinner moved above him by winning the title in Miami. While he is determined to rise again, Alcaraz is not overly concerned by his recent drop.

“Being No. 1 or No. 2 is great, but just one position down does not change too much,” Alcaraz said. “I know the players in front of me deserve this position so I have to work to recover this. I don’t play with different pressure being No. 2 or No. 3.”

Alcaraz is aiming to win his second title of the season in Monte-Carlo, having triumphed in Indian Wells in March.