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The ATP tour heads to Monaco for the 115th edition of the Monte-Carlo Masters. The tournament is set to begin on Sunday.
Rafael Nadal, an 11-time champion at the Monte-Carlo Masters, has been sidelined by a rib fracture. Dominic Thiem, Matteo Berrettini and Daniil Medvedev will also miss the tournament due to health issues.
But World No. 1 Novak Djokovic will make his return at the Masters 1000 event. The Serb has competed in just one tournament this year, the Dubai Tennis Championships in February.
Djokovic is seeded No. 1, with Alexander Zverev, defending champion Stefanos Tsitsipas and Miami Open finalist Casper Ruud rounding out the top four seeds.
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Carlos Alcaraz, who won his first Masters 1000 title in Miami, will be aiming to lay his hands on yet another trophy. Top-10 players Andrey Rublev, Felix Auger-Aliassime and Cameron Norrie are also in the mix.
On that note, let's take a look at how the draw could unfold over the next few days.
First Quarter: Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz on course for a mouthwatering clash
Seeded players: (1) Novak Djokovic, (8) Carlos Alcaraz, (10) Taylor Fritz and (14) Roberto Bautista Agut
Expected quarterfinal: Novak Djokovic vs Carlos Alcaraz
Dark horse: Sebastian Korda
Analysis: Usually, Novak Djokovic arrives in Monte-Carlo with some sort of momentum behind him. However, 2022 has been rather challenging for the Serb, who spent months on the sidelines due to vaccine mandates. He lost in the quarterfinals of the only tournament he competed in this year.
But given Djokovic's prowess on clay compared to the rest of the field, he's still dangerous even without match play. After a first-round bye, the Serb will kick off his campaign against either Alejandro Davidovich Fokina or Marcos Giron.
A win could see Djokovic take on either Roberto Bautista Agut or Dan Evans in the third round. The Spaniard is a tough competitor, while Evans knocked Djokovic out of the tournament at this very stage in 2021.
If Djokovic reaches the quarterfinals, he could run into teen phenom Carlos Alcaraz. The Spaniard is likely to begin his title quest against Sebastian Korda in the second round. The American put up a fight against Rafael Nadal at the Indian Wells Masters and could challenge Alcaraz as well.
Indian Wells Open champion Taylor Fritz has been in fine form over the last few weeks and could clash with the Spaniard in the third round.
Quarterfinal prediction: Carlos Alcaraz def. Novak Djokovic
Second Quarter: Casper Ruud seeks further glory on clay at the Monte-Carlo Masters
Seeded players: (4) Casper Ruud, (7) Cameron Norrie, (11) Hubert Hurkacz and (15) Nikoloz Basilashvili
Expected quarterfinal: Casper Ruud vs Cameron Norrie
Dark horse: Gael Monfils
Analysis: Fourth seed Casper Ruud's path to the quarterfinals of the Monte-Carlo Masters is rather straightforward. With six titles on clay and a semi-final showing in Monte-Carlo in 2021, he's one of the favorites to win the title.
He'll start off against either a qualifier or Aslan Karatsev in the second round. His possible third-round opponents include Grigor Dimitrov, Nikoloz Basilashvili and Filip Krajinovic.
Seventh seed Cameron Norrie is also in this section of the draw. The Brit has recorded consistent results over the last couple of months and will look to carry his form into the clay season. He's likely to open his campaign against Albert Ramos-Vinolas in the second round.
The Spaniard is a tough customer on clay and has won a title on the surface this year. Should Norrie get past Ramos-Vinolas, he could come up against either Hubert Hurkacz or Gael Monfils in the third round.
The Frenchman notched up some good results at the start of the year but has struggled for form of late. Hurkacz, on the other hand, will be brimming with confidence following a semi-final finish in Miami.
Should Norrie advance to the quarterfinals, he will likely face Ruud. The Brit lost to the Norwegian in the fourth round of the Miami Open.
Quarterfinal prediction: Casper Ruud def. Cameron Norrie
Third Quarter: Stefanos Tsitsipas prepares for tough title defense
Seeded players: (3) Stefanos Tsitsipas, (6) Felix Auger-Aliassime, (12) Diego Schwartzman and (16) Lorenzo Sonego
Expected quarterfinal: Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Felix Auger-Aliassime
Dark horse: Fabio Fognini
Analysis: Defending champion Stefanos Tsitsipas will need to summon his best form from the outset if he is to win back-to-back titles at the Monte-Carlo Masters. The Greek will face either 2019 Monte-Carlo champion Fabio Fognini or Arthur Rinderknech in his opener, before a potential clash with Lorenzo Sonego.
Sixth seed Felix Auger-Aliassime will be hoping for a reversal in fortunes following a bunch of disappointing results over the past month. He failed to win a match at the Indian Wells and Miami Masters and lost in the second round of the Grand Prix Hassan II despite holding two match points against Alex Molcan.
Auger-Aliassime could face either Lorenzo Musetti or Benoit Paire in the second round. Both players have the potential to pull off an upset. But should Auger-Aliassime scrape through, he'll likely come up against Diego Schwartzman in the third round.
Schwartzman has already reached two finals on clay this year, at the Argentina Open and the Rio Open. He will take on Karen Khachanov in the opening round, before a possible clash with Marton Fucsovics or Lloyd Harris. He could run in to Tsitsipas in the quarterfinals.
Quarterfinal prediction: Stefanos Tsitsipas def. Diego Schwartzman
Fourth Quarter: Alexander Zverev and Jannik Sinner on collision course
Seeded players: (2) Alexander Zverev, (5) Andrey Rublev, (9) Jannik Sinner and (13) Pablo Carreno Busta
Expected quarterfinal: Alexander Zverev vs Andrey Rublev
Dark horse: Alexander Bublik
Analysis: Alexander Zverev has not had a great season by his standards. A runner-up finish in Montpellier and a quarter-final appearance in Miami have been the highlights of his season so far.
The German has won the Masters 1000 tournaments in Madrid and Rome, but the title in Monte-Carlo has eluded the World No. 3 so far.
On paper, Zverev's draw looks fairly easy. He'll commence his challenge against either Federico Delbonis or a qualifier. He could then run into one of Stan Wawrinka, Alexander Bublik and Pablo Carreno Busta.
Wawrinka is competing in his first ATP tournament since March 2021 and will take on Bublik in the first round. The Kazakh is the heavy favorite to advance and set up a potential second-round meeting with Carreno Busta.
Fifth seed Andrey Rublev, a finalist at the Monte-Carlo Masters in 2021, is likely to begin his campaign against Alex de Minaur in the second round, followed by a possible third-round clash against Jannik Sinner.
Sinner will face Borna Coric in the opening round and potentially Cristian Garin in the second. Both matches are winnable for the Italian and he will fancy his chances of beating Rublev as well should they meet in the third round.
Quarterfinal prediction: Jannik Sinner def. Alexander Zverev
Prediction for semifinals
Carlos Alcaraz def. Casper Ruud
Jannik Sinner def. Stefanos Tsitsipas
Prediction for the final: Carlos Alcaraz def. Jannik Sinner
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