The first clay-court Masters 1000 tournament of the 2025 season is underway in Monte Carlo, but which players are the leading contenders for the title?
This year’s event is the 118th edition of the prestigious clay-court tournament, which was first held in 1896.
The draw for the Monte Carlo Masters features 56 players, with 16 seeds. Stefanos Tsitsipas is the defending champion, having beaten Casper Ruud in the 2024 final.
Monte Carlo Masters 2025 seeds
1) Alexander Zverev
2) Carlos Alcaraz
3) Novak Djokovic
4) Casper Ruud
5) Jack Draper
6) Stefanos Tsitsipas
7) Andrey Rublev
8) Alex de Minaur
9) Daniil Medvedev
10) Holger Rune
11) Ben Shelton
12) Arthur Fils
13) Lorenzo Musetti
14) Frances Tiafoe
15) Grigor Dimitrov
16) Felix Auger-Aliassime
Here, we rank our top five contenders for the Monte Carlo crown.
5. Alexander Zverev
Alexander Zverev is the top seed in Monte Carlo in the absence of world No 1 Jannik Sinner, who remains sidelined until May 4 due to his doping ban.
The world No 2 enters the tournament having won just six of the 11 matches he has played across five tournaments since losing the Australian Open final.
The German also faces a brutal draw, with an in-form Matteo Berrettini his likely opponent in his first match.
Zverev could then meet Lorenzo Musetti in the third round before a potential quarter-final showdown with either Stefanos Tsitsipas or Holger Rune. All three of these players have previously excelled on the slow clay in Monaco. Novak Djokovic could then await if he reaches the last four.
The 27-year-old is capable of turning around his fortunes as he often plays his best tennis on clay, although Monte Carlo is the only Masters event he has not won on this surface and is by far his worst for win percentage (64% compared to 82% in Madrid and 80% in Rome).
4. Casper Ruud
Casper Ruud has endured a slightly disappointing season so far outside of a runner-up result in Dallas, but he always comes alive at this time of year.
The 11-time clay titlist was a runner-up in Monte Carlo in 2024 and he has a favourable path to make a deep run again as he seeks a maiden Masters title.
Jack Draper, Ben Shelton and Frances Tiafoe — none of whom are at their best on clay — are the three seeded players who stand between Ruud and a place in the semi-finals.
The 26-year-old Norwegian may, though, need to overcome a 1-4 head-to-head deficit against Carlos Alcaraz in a possible semi-final.
The fourth seed could face a similar hurdle if he plays Djokovic (1-5) or Zverev (2-4) in the final, although he has a 3-2 record against Tsitsipas despite losing to the Greek at this tournament last year.
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3. Stefanos Tsitsipas
Among active players, Stefanos Tsitsipas is undoubtedly the King of Monte Carlo, having secured the title in three of the last four years.
Despite an underwhelming Sunshine Double, Tsitsipas should arrive at his favourite event with added confidence having won the Dubai Championships after changing to a new racket just over a month ago.
The sixth seed could face a tricky third round test against 2023 Monte Carlo finalist Rune — who he lost to in Indian Wells — but it is hard not to see Tsitsipas making it to at least the final four.
The 26-year-old Greek could, though, need to overcome his two nightmare opponents to lift his fourth Monte Carlo title.
Tsitsipas has lost 11 straight matches and is 2-12 against Djokovic, who he could meet in the semi-finals, while he is 0-6 against Alcaraz, who he may face in the final. He is yet to play either Djokovic or Alcaraz in Monte Carlo.
2. Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic will continue his bid for a 100th ATP title in Monte Carlo, where victory would see him complete a Triple Career Golden Masters.
It is Djokovic’s worst Masters 1000 event for win percentage (72.2%), and he has found it particularly challenging since winning his second title in 2015, although he made the semi-finals last year.
The Serbian does, though, enter this year’s edition on the back of a hugely encouraging run to the final of the Miami Open.
An in-form Djokovic should be too strong on clay for the three seeds in his section: Alex de Minaur, Daniil Medvedev and Grigor Dimitrov.
The No 3 seed would like his chances against Tsitsipas or Zverev in a potential semi-final — by which stage he would have three wins under his belt.
A projected final showdown with Alcaraz promises to be a blockbuster, with Djokovic leading the clay head-to-head 2-1 against his Spanish rival.
1. Carlos Alcaraz
Carlos Alcaraz arrives in Monte Carlo on a two-match losing streak after erratic displays ended his runs in Indian Wells and Miami.
While his shock loss to David Goffin in his opening match at the latter event was alarming, the extra time to prepare for the clay season could work in Alcaraz’s favour.
The surface change and quick transition from Miami to Monte Carlo is notoriously difficult for players who go deep in South Florida — as Alcaraz has found after his strong Miami runs in 2022-2024.
This will be only his second appearance at the season’s first clay-court Masters event after 2022, when he lost his first match following a Miami title win. The 21-year-old Spaniard was forced to withdraw from each of the last two editions of Monte Carlo due to injuries.
The No 2 seed will likely face a dangerous test against Francisco Cerundolo in his first match, but his route to the final looks clear thereafter.
The defending Roland Garros champion is arguably the player to beat on this surface when at his best, and it’s hard not to see him ending his wait for a big title soon.
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