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Dominic Thiem has argued Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz are as difficult to beat as Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal were in the Big Three era.

Sinner and Alcaraz, who currently sit first and third respectively in the ATP Rankings, have won the last five Grand Slam titles between them.

Alcaraz, 21, did the French Open-Wimbledon double in 2024, having also won Wimbledon in 2023 and the US Open in 2022.

Sinner, 23, secured his maiden major crown at the 2024 Australian Open and added his second at last year’s US Open. The Italian made it three consecutive hard-court Grand Slam triumphs by defending his Australian Open title in January.

The duo are the only players from their generation to win majors, with 29-year-old Daniil Medvedev the next-youngest men’s Grand Slam champion.

The Big Three, meanwhile, won an astonishing 66 majors between them. Djokovic has secured a record 24, while Nadal and Federer retired on 22 on 20 respectively.

In an interview with Tennis Magazin, Thiem spoke about the difficulty of winning a Grand Slam title in the current era when asked about Alexander Zverev’s prospects.

“I hope Sascha wins a Grand Slam. I think his career is far too good without one,” the 2020 US Open champion and former world No 3 said.

“But even if he doesn’t make it, it’s still absolutely sensational. If he wins a Grand Slam, he’ll pretty much automatically become number one because he’s playing so consistently and so well.

“Everyone said that when the Big Three or the Big Four are gone, it will be easier because no one will come up. Now we have Sinner and Alcaraz. If they’re not injured or out for some other reason, you usually have to beat one or even both of them, and that’s really hard.

“I think Sinner and Alcaraz are probably just as hard to beat today as Federer or Djokovic were back then.

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“And there are some other really good players like Taylor Fritz when he’s playing at a really high level, like at the US Open. Winning a Grand Slam isn’t any easier than it was five or ten years ago.”

Thiem, who called time on his illustrious career in October last year, also revealed he remains happy with his decision to retire at the age of 31.

“Yes, definitely. On paper it says I had a career from 2011 to 2024, but that’s not true,” the Austrian explained.

“Your career starts when you’re eleven or twelve. Then you start to base your whole life around the sport. Before you even start playing professionally, eight or nine years have already passed, and they’re very exhausting.

“You have to put all your energy into it every day, train for hours. For me, that’s just as much a part of a career as the years when you’re famous and playing on the real tour.

“That’s why, at 31, I’ve probably had 20 years and achieved more than I ever expected. So, for me, it’s a very complete story.”

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Carlos Alcaraz has shed light on how he handles pressure and his mindset in decisive moments as he revealed a key aspect of his approach is “not a good thing.”

The four-time Grand Slam winner is set to compete at the 2025 Monte Carlo Masters, where he is the No 2 seed.

Speaking on an episode of the Louis Vuitton podcast, Alcaraz discussed a range of topics – and gave a clear definition of his playing style.

“I really want to be aggressive all the time,” he explained. “I really want to get to the net as soon as possible, hit big shots. Playing aggressively, that’s my style.”

The world No 3 divulged that he leans into this aggressive mindset when dealing with pressure in matches.

“I always think that I have to go for it,” Alcaraz continued. “Normally when I feel the pressure is in the tight moments, in the difficult moments in the match that I could lose, I could be down in the match.

“In those moments, it’s like, ‘okay, I have to go for it, I have to play my style, believe in myself.’ If I lose it, I’d feel at least  – I really want it to feel like I went for it, it couldn’t happen, so it’s okay. But go for it every time. That helped me a lot to deal with the pressure during the matches.

“When you believe in yourself, when you think that you’re the best in what you’re doing and go for it and go forward all the time, everything is gonna happen, or everything is gonna be easy at least.

“Having that good mindset, it is always helpful. So in tennis, it is pretty important thinking you are the best, you are gonna win every match, you are not gonna lose. In those moments, I am thinking, ‘go for it, you are gonna make it.’

“Sometimes I don’t enjoy. Most of the time I enjoy, I don’t feel the pressure a lot. But sometimes it’s really difficult to separate the pressure and having fun.

“When you’re playing for something really big, when the pressure and nerves are there and it is difficult to deal with. When the things are not going in the way I want to be, it’s tough to accept it sometimes.

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“But yeah, as I said, I think this is the position that I really wanted to be when I was a kid. It’s a dream that I’m coming true, and that’s why I’m trying not to feel or not to think about the pressure and just having fun, because I made my dream.”

The Spaniard admitted matches have slipped away from him as a result of relaxing and losing intensity.

“Sometimes in a match, you relax yourself, ‘okay, I’m winning.’ And you’re starting to play with less intensity, you’re not moving the same way that you were before,” said the 21-year-old.

“That happened to me a few times, and at the end of the match I lost it because of it, so I try to learn from those matches and keep the same intensity all the time.”

Alcaraz went on to suggest that his reliance on instinct in decisive moments can be a problem.

“Sometimes it is instinct, which I think is not a good thing, because sometimes in the decisive moments, in the really close ones, difficult ones, I do what I feel,” he added.

“Sometimes it’s good, sometimes – I think most of the time – it’s not too good. You have to follow a strategy, let’s say a pattern.

“But whatever I feel, I do it. Let’s say to do a dropshot, I do it. If I feel like going to the net, I do it. A lot of times did pretty well, a lot of times did it wrong.”

READ NEXT: Tim Henman gives his verdict on Carlos Alcaraz form and Jack Draper’s Wimbledon hopes

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How has Novak Djokovic managed to stay at the top of tennis for so long?

The Serbian turns 38 in May and won his first Grand Slam singles title over 17 years ago, yet remains inside the top five of the ATP Rankings – and won Olympic gold for the first time last summer.

Djokovic’s longevity has been remarkable, and his Grand Slam success in recent years has been unparalleled.

Though he did not win a major title in 2024 – and had to retire injured at the Australian Open this January – Djokovic has boosted his major title collection significantly across the past decade.

In fact, the former world No 1 has won 12 of his 24 Grand Slam titles – exactly half – since turning 30 in May 2017.

Djokovic’s success since his 30th birthday has been highlighted by four Australian Open titles and four consecutive Wimbledon titles, also claiming two French Open and two US Open titles since then.

The Serbian went 27-1 in Grand Slam matches in 2023 – the year he turned 36 – and was also one win away from the Calendar Grand Slam as a 34-year-old back in 2021.

Earlier in his career, Djokovic’s success was down to his intense movement and physicality, and his ability to stick in rallies as long as required to wear his opponent down.

However, one former opponent believes a change from that approach is key to his late-career dominance.

Former world No 6 Gilles Simon knows all too well about the challenge of facing Djokovic, having lost 11 of his 12 meetings to the 24-time Grand Slam winner.

And, the Frenchman, who retired in 2022, has noted what he believes to be a “logical” change in Djokovic’s game.

Speaking to Tennis365, Simon revealed how Djokovic has adapted to not only play more aggressively, but also manage his physicality across a match.

“It’s a very logical way,” said Simon.

“He’s serving better and better, because he needs more free points than before. He’s less capable of holding his level playing full intensity, every point from the baseline for four or five sets, what he was doing before with Rafa [Nadal] – we all watched it.

“It has already been a few years [now] where he can only play that level for one hour and a half and sometimes one set, or some moments in the match.

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“Even when he won the French Open or Wimbledon, there is one set where he is not playing it, because he needs to recover – something he would never do before. Before he was full gas, first to last point.

“That’s logical, and it’s changing also the way he plays. Instead of long rallies, maybe he’s going to go for a short point.

“He’s improving his serve to get more points there, sometimes he’s going to be a bit more aggressive at some moments, because he cannot run through the same rallies.”

Djokovic is the only man older than 30 currently inside the top 10 of the ATP Rankings, and one of just two men inside the top 30 – the other being 33-year-old Grigor Dimitrov.

Despite having missed out at the last five Grand Slam tournaments, Simon believes the “smart” tennis icon will remain a threat.

He added: “The choices he is making sometimes are different because he has to know how to handle this energy and regulate it, to play the five sets.

“That’s where the logic is different. It’s no longer: ‘No matter what happened, I will go full power first to last point’.

“He’s really smart, he understands everything, he’s super good obviously.

“He understands now how his body is responding and where the limit is, and where he has to change the choice and be a bit more aggressive to have shorter points in some moments, to hold the whole match.”

Simon was speaking in his role as an ambassador and team captain for the 2025 Roland-Garros eSeries by Renault.

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Jannik Sinner has given his first interview since he accepted a three-month suspension from professional tennis – stating that he is ‘rested’, but admits that his return won’t be ‘easy’.

The world No 1 continued his spectacular form at the 2025 Australian Open, lifting the title by dropping just two sets along the way.

However, his last eight months have not been easy – first found to have ‘no fault or negligence’ for failing two doping tests in March 2024 by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) before the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) appealed the tribunal’s decision in late-September.

Just a few weeks after his latest Melbourne triumph, it was announced that Sinner had reached a settlement with WADA to accept a three-month suspension, in return for the agency dropping their appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

“I’m very well, I rested and I’m happy,” Sinner stated to Sky Sports Italia.

“I would have done many different things, obviously, if I could have chosen, I would have played tennis, but I’m fine, and I’m not even thinking about it too much at the moment.”

Sinner is due to return to professional tennis at the Rome Masters, the last Masters 1000 event before Roland Garros.

“After we took this decision, it took me a while to find myself again,” stated the three-time Grand Slam champion.

“But I am still here. There is still a bit of time to digest all this, but I can’t wait to be back in Rome.

“It’s a special tournament for me, even though it will also very tough. I’ll be back in a moment in which there will be already a lot of attention on me, and in Rome it’s not easy.”

The Italian’s best result at his home Masters 1000 event was a quarter-final run in 2022, where he lost to Stefanos Tsitsipas 7-6(5), 6-2.

Sinner withdrew from the event in 2024 due to an ongoing hip issue, which forced his mid-tournament withdrawal from Madrid.

“I was very fragile after what happened,” he admitted.

“I would tell a lie if I said I was person without feelings or emotions. In life you learn, every year I learn more about myself, also about my value.

“It was not easy, very hard at times, but the people around me gave me the strength to understand what had happened.”

His settlement seemed like a somewhat rational decision, with WADA’s appeal due to be held April 16 – 17 and a loss potentially handing him a one or two-year ban from competing.

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Sinner, who will search for his first Roland Garros title in June this year, also acknowledged that – despite having his friends and family around him – he is ‘counting the days’ until his first professional match.

“I stopped doing what I always dreamed of doing. I am in the best position to play this sport,” the 2025 Australian Open champion commented.

“At the beginning I counted the days, but now every day that goes by, as the time gets closer, I feel better physically and mentally.

“Even if there is still time, it is a good opportunity for me to improve in those areas in which I had difficulties, on a surface on which I struggle. So, let’s try to do something different. Hopefully it works otherwise we will have more time to try again.”

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Jannik Sinner has revealed he had to accept “the lesser evil” of a three-month suspension in his first interview since his ban from ATP action began.

World No 1 Sinner is currently serving a three-month suspension after agreeing to a settlement with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) earlier this year.

WADA had announced an appeal into the severity of Sinner’s doping sanction from the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA), which was announced in August 2024.

The ITIA found him to have been of “no fault” after twice testing positive for the banned steroid clostebol in March 2024, and was handed no suspension after successfully arguing he had been contaminated by a team member.

WADA confirmed its appeal regarding the severity of the sanction in September 2024 and was set to take its case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in April 2025.

Had CAS ruled in WADA’s favour, Sinner could have faced a suspension of up to two years in length – though a settlement between the two parties was confirmed in February 2025.

The world No 1 is two months into his ban and is set to return at the Italian Open, which begins just days after his ban ends on May 4, 2025.

Speaking to Sky Sports Italia, the 23-year-old maintained that his suspension still felt “unfair” and “didn’t agree completely” with the decision.

“In the end, you have to choose the lesser evil and I believe that is what I have done,” said Sinner.

“Even if sometimes it seems a bit unfair, all that I’m living, but then if I look at things from a different perspective it could have been worse. Even more unfairness. This is the way it is.

“The decision to take the three-month suspension was rather quick. We accepted it quite quickly, even though I didn’t agree completely.

“There was a bit of back and forth with my lawyer and the people around me. After we took this decision, it took me a while to find myself again.”

Sinner has been under intense scrutiny since news of his two doping violations first emerged last August.

In one of the most emotional revelations to come from the interview, the three-time Grand Slam champion admitted to feeling “fragile” at points during the case.

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He added: “I was very fragile after what happened. I would tell a lie if I said I was person without feelings or emotions.

“In life you learn, every year I learn more about myself, also about my value. It was not easy, very hard at times, but the people around me gave me the strength to understand what had happened.”

Reaction within tennis to Sinner’s case has been divisive, with a particularly mixed reaction across active players on the ATP Tour.

Though he will likely receive a strong reception when he returns to action on home soil in Rome, there is no way of judging how the Italian’s ATP colleagues will react to his comeback.

And, Sinner himself admits he is unsure about the welcome he will receive.

“I can’t answer this question as I don’t know what could happen. I know how things went, I know I am innocent.

“I am calm because in the end I know that what I want to do is to play tennis and be serene. That’s the end of the story.

“So, I am sure all will go well, even if at the beginning it will take a while to start over. These are questions I don’t know how to answer.”

Read Next: Exclusive: Jannik Sinner’s rivals warned Italian is ‘going to play well’ on return from suspension

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Carlos Alcaraz is expected to fly to Moncao on Saturday to start his clay court campaign for 2025 and he could not have been handed a tougher task after the draw was made for the Monte-Carlo Masters.

Alcaraz has a big chance to make a leap up the ATP Rankings over the next few weeks as he missed last year’s Monte-Carlo Masters and Barcelona Open due to injury.

With 1,500 ranking points up for grabs in those events, he will be keen to make a big impression during the clay court season, but the No 2 see in Monte-Carlo has been handed arguably the toughest draw possible.

Assuming Argentina’s Francisco Cerundolo comes through his first round match against Italian veteran Fabio Fognini, he will face Alcaraz in the second round and that would be a huge test for the reigning French Open champion in his opening clay court match of the year.

World No 23 Cerundolo is a clay court specialist and he confirmed he is in prime form after wins against Tommy Paul and Casper Ruud at last month’s Miami Open.

He beat Alex de Minaur at the Indian Wells Masters, also played last month, and pushed Alcaraz close in their quarter-final match in that tournament.

Playing the Spaniard on clay may appeal to Cerundolo after he reached the final of a clay court event in his Argentine homeland in February and also played clay court events in Bazil and Rio earlier this year.

If Alcaraz was to get through a potential clash with Cerundolo, he would face another dangerous clay courter in Italian Matteo Arnaldi, who took at set off him when they met in Indian Wells last month.

Casper Ruud is another dangerous opponent in Alcaraz’s half of the draw, with the Spaniard looking to bounce back from a disappointing defeat in his opening match at the Miami Open last month.

The four-time Grand Slam champion was brutally honest when he assessed his mood after that match, as he suggested he needed to reset his focus heading into the clay court swing on the ATP Tour.

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“It was a poor level from me,” said Alcaraz after losing to David Goffin in Miami.

“I just wanted to play better. After the first set, I thought I was going to be better. He played well, he played good tennis. My level didn’t increase. I think his level after the first set increased a little bit.

“I didn’t play well, physically I didn’t feel well. When you don’t have the confidence in your level physically, I think it’s really tough to maintain good tennis.

“I didn’t feel well in my legs. I wasn’t injured, I wasn’t sick. I was feeling perfect before the match.

“I felt good, a little bit nervous, which is normal before the match. But nothing more than that. I just felt ready, I thought that I was going to play really good tennis. It didn’t happen.”

Tennis coach Patrick Mouratoglou, who worked with tennis legend Serena Williams and is currently coaching four-time Grand Slam winner Naomi Osaka, admitted he was surprises to hear Alcaraz admit publicly that he is struggling with his focus as it could boost his potential rivals.

“It was a choice for him to say that. I don’t know if it was good or not,” Mouratoglou told Tennis365 as he released his new book Champion Mindset. “If it helps him to take it out of his system to say it, to admit it, why not?

“Most other players would not say it, that is his choice. We will see how he plays now after he has said this. We will see if he feels less pressure now that he has said this, that he admitted his weakness of that moment.

“Maybe the fact that he verbalised it will put more pressure on him, we’ll see. It is unusual to hear this.

“I don’t know if this is a Spanish thing, but I remember that Rafa had a period in his career when he was losing a lot of matches and he was saying that he kind of lost his mental strength, he admitted it.

“I was very surprised when he said this, actually, but then he came back to his true self and it shows that even the great players go through doubts at some points.

“It was the same when I started with Serena. She had not won a Grand Slam for three years, she lost in the first round of Roland Garros and it was a difficult moment. Everyone goes through this at some point in their lives and their career.”

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The draw for the 2025 Monte Carlo Masters has been revealed, with all of the top three seeds – Alexander Zverev, Carlos Alcaraz, and Novak Djokovic – being handed tough opening matches.

At the most recent edition, Stefanos Tsitsipas defeated Casper Ruud 6-1, 6-4 to lift his third trophy in the principality.

Past winners include Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Andrey Rublev, Fabio Fognini, and Stan Wawrinka.

World No 4 Taylor Fritz and world No 22 Hubert Hurkacz both withdrew due to injury. Miomir Kecmanovic replaced in the Pole, whilst Roberto Bautista-Agut took the American’s place.

Alexander Zverev’s Quarter

At the top of the draw, top seed Zverev will face either a qualifier or – more likely – Matteo Berrettini in his opening match. The German will be seeking to somewhat close the gap between himself and Jannik Sinner, whose suspension from competing will end in May.

Berrettini and Zverev have met on clay on three occasions, splitting two meetings in Rome, before the higher-seeded player won their 2021 Madrid final. However, the Italian did win their last meeting – with a straight-sets win in the third round of Wimbledon in 2023.

Should Zverev get past the former Grand Slam finalist, he would face one of Lorenzo Musetti –  the 13^th seed – Sebastian Korda, and Jiri Lehecka in the third round. All of the potential opponents have solid clay-court resumes, with Musetti winning both of their meetings last season – including one on the red brick surface.

Stefanos Tsitsipas and Holger Rune are the other two seeds in this quarter. Zverev would undoubtedly rather face the Dane, winning their last three encounters, with the Greek holding a 5-1 clay-court record over the world No 2.

Novak Djokovic’s Quarter

Djokovic will be looking to make a quick turnaround from his tough Miami Open final loss against Jakub Mensik, and may need to be at a high level to defeat Stan Wawrinka. The three-time Grand Slam champion will be the Serb’s opening opponent, should he get past a qualifier.

Whilst out of form and past his prime, the Swiss is at his most dangerous on the clay – particularly in the early rounds.

Grigor Dimitrov awaits in the third round, with Jan-Lennard Struff and Nicolas Jarry as other potential options. The Bulgarian got hammered by the 24-time Grand Slam champion in Miami, but may take solace in his last clay-court meeting with Djokovic – a three-set battle – as well as his sole victory arriving on the same surface.

At the bottom of the top half of the draw, Daniil Medvedev and Alex de Minaur will compete for a spot in the last eight. Should the two meet, it promises to be a tight affair, with the Australian winning their only clay-court meeting at Roland Garros in 2024 – however, there are signs of the Russian’s level improving over recent weeks.

Casper Ruud’s Quarter

Defending finalist Casper Ruud has had an unremarkable season so far, with a 12-4 record.

The Norwegian opens against either Robert Bautista-Agut or Brandon Nakashima, with the Spaniard having significantly greater clay-court prowess and a 3-1 head-to-head over Ruud.

Frances Tiafoe has a 6-6 record in 2025, failing to get consecutive victories at any tournament. The American is Ruud’s projected third-round opponent and would be the heavy underdog, should they both meet.

2025 Indian Wells champion Jack Draper is the event’s fifth seed and sits at the top of the bottom half of the draw – with Ben Shelton the other seed in his section. Both lefties lack clay-court experience, in a section which contains ‘dirt ballers’ such as Alejandro Davidovich Fokina and Tomas Etcheverry.

Ruud has yet to meet Draper and has won his last two matches against Shelton, including one on clay.

Carlos Alcaraz’s Quarter

Alcaraz, the tournament’s second seed, may have won many clay-court titles, but is yet to win a match in Monaco. In 2022, he lost a three-set match to Sebastian Korda and withdrew due to injury at the last two editions.

It won’t start easily for the Spaniard, facing the winner of Fabio Fognini and Francisco Cerundolo. The Italian won the title in 2019, where he defeated 11-time champion Rafael Nadal along the way, but has yet to meet the Argentine.

Should he collect his maiden victory, in-form Felix Auger-Aliassime – who has won two titles in 2025 – lies in waiting, with retiring Richard Gasquet and Matteo Arnaldi as other options.

In the last eight, 2023 champion Andrey Rublev is Alcaraz’s projected opponent, with Frenchman Arthur Fils, who loves the clay, also competing for a quarter-final spot.

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The tennis world was stunned when Novak Djokovic revealed he hired Andy Murray as his new coach for the 2025 season, but the move appears to have had a big impact in one key area of his game.

Djokovic is chasing 100th career title in what may be his final year on the tour, with a record-breaking 25th Grand Slam title also in his sights before he calls time on his remarkable career.

Murray’s presence in his coaching box seems to have lifted his levels of desire and the Scot may also have had an impact on his former rival’s serve.

After years of competing against each other at the highest levels of the game, Djokovic and Murray are now working in tandem and one statistic stands out when comparing this Djokovic year to others.

His first serve percentage for 2025 is a highly impressive 69 per-cent and this is a big step forward from the numbers he was producing when he was at his best and playing against Murray in Grand Slam finals.

Djokovic was in stunning form in 2011 as he won three Grand Slam titles and dominated the men’s game, but his first serve percentage for that season was down at 65 per-cent.

Then in 2016, when he also won three Grand Slam titles, his first serve percentage was also at 65 per-cent.

His service percentage was at 65 per-cent when he won the Australian Open, French Open and Wimbledon in 2021 and at 64 per-cent when he won three Grand Slams two years ago.

While we are only a third of the way through the season, Djokovic’s impressive serving displays at the Australian Open and last month’s Miami Open have bumped his number of 2025 up to the highest it has been in his career.

A five per-cent leap in service statistics may not seem hugely significant, but that would be the equivalent of a sprinter knocking a quarter of a second off personal best in the 100m or a soccer player adding five goals a season to his total.

At the top end of sport, fine margins are all important and the impressive numbers don’t end there for Djokovic on his serve.

In the 203 service games he has played, he has won a massive 76 per-cent of the first points on his serve and 89 per-cent of his service games.

They are impressive numbers for a player who will celebrate his 38th birthday next month, with Djokovic admitting he has surprised himself with the quality of his serving his season.

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“I wouldn’t say particularly we paid so much attention to the serve prior to this tournament that it needed to be worked on separately from all the other shots in order to get it to a desired level,” said Djokovic after his win against Grigor Dimitrov in the Miami Open semi-finals.

“I think I’ve been serving pretty well this year. Maybe some other elements in my game haven’t been working particularly well, but the serve was solid.

“I mean, this is a whole different level of serving, obviously. I mean, I did not expect myself to top the serving performance of last match, where I had 83%, and I had 87% today. I missed I think five or six serves in the whole match. So that’s really amazing, amazing standard, really high standard.

“I wouldn’t say particularly we paid so much attention to the serve prior to this tournament that it needed to be worked on separately from all the other shots in order to get it to a desired level,” said Djokovic.

“I think I’ve been serving pretty well this year. Maybe some other elements in my game haven’t been working particularly well, but the serve was solid.

“I mean, this is a whole different level of serving, obviously. I mean, I did not expect myself to top the serving performance of the last match, where I had 83%, and I had 87% against Dimitrov. I missed I think five or six serves in the whole match. So that’s really amazing, amazing standard, really high standard.”

It will be fascinating to see if Djokovic can continue this pattern of impressive serving and if he can, a player widely recognised as the greatest returner of serve the game has seen will be a big threat to challenge for glory at the French Open and Wimbledon in the next few months.

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The clay-court season is about to slip into top gear with the Monte Carlo Masters the first of the three ATP 1000 marquee events ahead of the French Open next month.

Adapting from hard courts in Indian Wells and Miami to the slippery, slower-paced clay court surface is a tough task, with surprise results likely in the opening weeks of the clay court story.

Here is your Tennis365 guide of what to expect as the ATP Tour’s biggest stars get ready to get their shoes and socks messy on the clay courts of Europe.

Monte-Carlo Masters

Date: April 6-13

Defending champion: Stefanos Tsitsipas

The opening clay-court event of the season for most of the big names on the ATP Tour throws up some big challenges and that often leads to some unexpected results.

The sell-out crowds at the Monte Carlo Country Club give this event a Wimbledon vibe as the rich and famous mingle with tennis fans and this could be a week for Carlos Alcaraz to send out a statement of intent.

Injury has prevented Alcaraz from shining at the Monte Carlo Masters over the last couple of years, but he has been practising hard in Spain ahead of his return to clay at the French Open champion could be the player to beat.

One to watch: Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti is a threat on clay courts and he will be a dangerous floater in this draw.

Verdict: Alcaraz to shine in the Monaco sunshine.

Barcelona and Munich

Date: April 14-20

Defending champions: Casper Ruud (Barcelona), Jan-Lennard Struff (Munich)

Carlos Alcaraz is due to lead the draw in Barcelona after he missed out on playing in front of his home fans at this tournament last year, with the French Open champion the clear favourite for the ATP 500 tournament.

However, this event is often influenced by the events in Monte-Carlo the week before and if Alcaraz has a deep run in the principality, he may be vulnerable in the early rounds in Barcelona.

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In Munich, all eyes will be on local favourite Alexander Zverev, who has been in horrible form of late.

He went to South America to play in clay court events ahead of Indian Wells and Miami as he looks to get his game in shape on the surface ahead of his latest bid to win the French Open,  but he needs to find his form quickly to have any chance of realising that dream.

One to watch in Barcelona: Stefanos Tsitsipas reached the final in Barcelona last year and his win in Dubai last month suggested he should be ready to shine on his favoured clay courts.

One to watch in Munich: Francisco Cerundolo is a handful on any surface, but especially on clay. This Argentine could be a dark horse to win the title.

Verdict: Tsitsipas will be a title contender in Barcelona, but Alcaraz could blow the field away and may be back as world No 2 if he wins this tournament and does well in Monte Carlo. In Munich, look out for Cerundolo to take the trophy.

Madrid Open

Date: April 23 – May 04

Defending champion Andrey Rublev

Russian star Rublev overcame serious illness to find a way to win in Madrid a year ago and he will be under pressure to defend the 1,000 points he collected from that win in May.

He will slide outside the top 10 of the ATP Rankings if he fails to defend his title and that task will be made all the more difficult this year as Alcaraz was struggling with an injury when he played in Madrid a year ago and Novak Djokovic skipped the tournament.

With this event played at altitude, it is the fastest clay court event of the season in Europe and that opens the door for the likes of Ben Shelton, Taylor Fritz and Jack Draper to use their power game to make progress.

One to watch: Britain’s Jack Draper has not had too much success on clay so far, but he could be primed to take advantage of the slick conditions in Madrid.

Verdict: Look out for Djokovic to make a run for the title, but Alcaraz is the player to beat once again.

Italian Open

Date: May 7-18

Defending champion: Alexander Zverev

This event will be dominated by the return of world No 1 Jannik Sinner.

The sport seems to have airbrushed the reason for Sinner’s absence out of the narrative in recent weeks, with his name rarely mentioned in Indian Wells and Miami as he was absent due to his doping suspension.

Yet he will be back to perform in front of his adoring Italian fans and will be instantly installed as a favourite for this Masters 1000 tournament.

As Sinner missed Rome last year due to injury, he could take a leap forward in the ATP Rankings in this event and a showdown with Alcaraz would be box office viewing if it takes place.

One to watch: Djokovic has shone in what can be cool and wet conditions in Rome and he will be a contender to win a seventh title in Rome.

Verdict: Returning hero Sinner to win the title.

Hamburg

Date: May 18-24

Defending champion Arthur Fils

An ATP 500 tournament in Hamburg will be played the week before the French Open, with many of the biggest names on the ATP Tour already likely to be in Paris preparing for the second Grand Slam of the season.

Yet after a limited build-up due to his suspension, Sinner has entered to play this tournament and he will be keen to get as many matches in as possible.

Andrey Rublev and Stefanos Tsitsipas are likely to be his biggest challengers, with Holger Rune and Jan-Lennard Struff also in the mix

One to watch: Rublev is a tough player to beat on clay when he gets on a roll and in a week when the field may be diluted, he is a contender for a deep run.

Verdict: Sinner is the class of this field and any field, but a run to the final may impact his preparations at Roland Garros.

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