Carlos Alcaraz Wins Monte-Carlo Title As Lorenzo Musetti Pulls up Lame

When Carlos Alcaraz first played Lorenzo Musetti in the 2022 Hamburg Open final there was a high dose of drama and ultimate defeat. A controversial double bounce in the second set went the way of the Italian as did the match between two players who at that very moment were very much part of the Next Gen future. On Sunday, Alcaraz won the Monte-Carlo Masters far more comfortably – albeit in three sets – to record his fourth straight win over Musetti.

Alcaraz has won Monte Carlo by moving through the gears despite stalling early on in matches. When he dropped the first set in the final to Musetti, it was the third time this week that the Murcia man had gone behind. The current French Open champion rallied to secure 12 out of the next 13 games to seal a 3-6, 6-1, 6-0 victory as it became clear that his opponent was struggling with a right leg injury.

The four-time major winner was suitably apologetic and empathetic to Musetti’s plight. “This is not the way that I would have wanted to win a match. Thinking about Lorenzo, I think he’s had a really tough week, really long and intense matches, so I just feel really sorry for him to end.” Although he ill now miss the Barcelona Open, one bright spot is that Musetti will rise to No. 11 in the rankings on Monday. It was Alcaraz’s first Masters 1000 title in 13 months and sixth overall.

After pouring his heart out after a shaky Sunshine Double, Alcaraz has rediscovered his mojo just in time to remind everyone that clay was always his first love.”I’ve probably struggled a little bit over the past month, but coming here on clay, which is what I love playing on, the surface that I grew up playing on,” the Wimbledon champion said after defeating Daniel Altmaier.

Alcaraz had a shaky start to the tournament against Francisco Cerundolo just after Alexander Zverev had been jettisoned by Matteo Berrettini. From that moment on, he has shown all the qualities that had recently been bottled up.

The quarter-final marathon against Arthur Fils was the best of the bunch, a captivating young twentysomething match-up of warrior spirits that was reminiscent of Alcaraz’s defeat by Musetti back in that glorious encounter in Germany. Saving three break points at 5-5 in the second set was the trigger for the charge to the title. Alcaraz was on the precipice, clung on and then “stayed strong” to prevail.

Alcaraz has shown his cojones at Monte-Carlo when it felt like there was no challenge to Jannik Sinner’s dominance despite the Italian’s three-month doping suspension. However, the 21-year-old has suddenly clicked into gear and shown himself as the real contender to Sinner’s pursuit of a Roland Garros title.

Sinner returns to action on his home patch for the Italian Open on May 7 with over a 2,500 point lead in the ATP rankings although Alcaraz replaces Zverev as the world No. 2 on 7,720 points. Zverev has hardly embraced his number one seed status at Indian Wells, Miami and Monte Carlo, admitting that his form has collapsed.

Alcaraz against Sinner is a story that has many chapters to run, and the Spaniard’s head start on the surface during the clay court swing will certainly sway the odds. Overall, Alcaraz has an incredible 86-18 record on clay with eight titles, including his maiden French Open in 2024.

When Alcaraz beat compatriot Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the semi-finals, he alleged that people refuse to be patient and “want me to make the final in every tournament.” With an ever-increasing schedule, the expectations for greatness never cease as the demands of the game physically and mentally grow bigger.

Tennis players are not automatons. Alcaraz will be hoping to peak for the one that counts double at Roland Garros on May 25. He now travels to the Barcelona Open for the next blue tick on the red dust.