Tennis: Tsitsipas is back, Humbert and Monfils safe, Alcaraz and Nadal in the dark… Barometer of the French and big names after Monte-Carlo

The clay court season is well and truly underway. Stefanos Tsitsipas won the first Masters 1000 of the year on the surface, in Monte-Carlo, dominating Casper Ruud in the final on Sunday 14 April. A month and a half before Roland-Garros, franceinfo: sports checks the readiness of the favorites and the French with former 8th world champion Arnaud Clément, consultant for France Télévisions.

Favorites: Tsitsipas on top, positive for Đoković and Sinner

It was he who made the biggest impression by lifting the trophy. After a tough last six months, clay court specialist Stefanos Tsitsipas capped off a great week, dropping just one set and finishing the final in just an hour and a half (6-1, 6-4). “By winning in these conditions, Roland is clearly lagging behind the customer”assures Arnaud Clément.

Thanks to this title, the Greek, who returns to the top 10 of the ATP rankings (7th), has significantly earned “a lot of self-confidence”according to our consultant: “In context, with this disadvantage that he may have had for some time, it’s going to push him even more in the coming weeks.”

If he stopped in the semi-finals, he was defeated by Casper Ruud (6-4, 1-6, 6-4). Novak Djokovic also produced a “positive week”with “pretty strong, pretty solid towers”, like against Roman Safiullin (38th) when he entered the fight (6-1, 6-2). However, he may still need a little more physically to be ready for Roland-Garros. “Sometimes we see that he can lack a bit of rhythm (…) This lack risks being compensated for quite quickly in the coming weeks.”

The question of physical freshness will also arise for Jannik Sinner, who was eliminated at the gate of the final. “Compared to the beginning of the year, his travels, that accumulated fatigue, I wonder if at some point he will pay for it”explains Arnaud Clément, who highlights the possibility of removing the Masters 1000 (Madrid or Rome) from his program in order to arrive fresh in Paris.

For him, the Italian, a little less good on land, still showed good marks on the surface and will not have “no need for a month on the ground, many matches to naturally find the slide, distance with the ball”.

Unlucky finalist, Casper Ruud leaves Monte-Carlo with a few successes and a lot of regrets. On the one hand, the first major victory against Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals. “When we beat the world number 1 in the semi-finals of the Masters 1000, an important match, at least we remember that as a very positive thing in the week”, says Arnaud Clément. But, on the other hand, the Norwegian was not up to the mark in the final against Tsitsipas, with “stress”from “crisp”by putting “maybe too much pressure”. So many aspects to work on for the next deadlines.

French: good for Humbert and Monfils, better for Fils

French No. 1 Ugo Humbert also gained confidence after his performance in Monte-Carlo, where he has never won in three appearances. Eliminated in the quarterfinals, he managed to steal a set from Casper Ruud (6-4, 4-6, 6-1). “Perhaps he should have said to himself: ‘I am capable of achieving results in big tournaments’. This is extremely positive for the rest of the gravel season. It will have more security”deciphered by Arnaud Clément, who believes that Messin has “progressed in other sectors”regularity in forehand shots.

After a tight first round against lucky loser Aleksandar Vukić, wild card winner Gaël Monfils was stopped in the round of 16, defeated by world number 4, Daniil Medvedev. “What we may have criticized Gaël in his career is his great instabilities. I think he is very stable in his concentration, in his desire. These are good matches in all tournaments, he is in constant progress since the beginning of the year”assessed by our consultant.

Eliminated at the same stage as Gaël Monfils, young Arthur Fils (19 years old) raised his head after a difficult South American tour on clay at the beginning of the year (one win, three losses). “We felt he was in a much more positive state of mind. He works, he has a lot of work, but he has already found satisfaction on the field, and that was very important.”according to Arnaud Clément, who maintains the dynamics “positive” for three Frenchmen before Roland-Garros.

On the other hand, a big question mark for Adrian Mannarino, the second triathlete on the ATP (20th), retired before the first round, and more difficult on clay. “Depending on the table he’ll have in Roland, he might be able to do something, on terms that might suit him, why not.”

Questions: Alcaraz “irregular”, Nadal in the dark

The two Spaniards were conspicuous by their absence in Monte-Carlo, and the uncertainties surrounding their performances at Roland-Garros are still far from being resolved. Rafael Nadal, who has not played since the beginning of January in Brisbane, had to withdraw because he was not yet physically ready. The Spaniard, a 14-time winner in Porte d’Auteuil, reaffirmed in mid-February that Roland-Garros is one of his main goals. “We feel that he has a great desire, that he is preparing as best he can, but there is always some little thing that gets in his way”laments Arnaud Clément.

Also absent from Monaco Ocher due to a hand injury, Carlos Alcaraz has not had the chance to re-convince himself, after the ups and downs of the past few weeks. “I think he’s been irregular for some time (…) He’s missing a playground that he hasn’t been able to find with enough regularity yet”referee Arnaud Clément, who also points a finger at his own “physical defects”. The former player puts the Spaniard among the favorites “a little behind the four semi-finalists”.