Tennis365 Heroes and Villains: Carlos Alcaraz takes top prize, as Stefanos Tsitsipas is on the slide

Carlos Alcaraz sent out a big statement to his rivals as he confirmed he is the man to beat on clay courts with his win at the Monte Carlo Masters.

The date of this exciting Spaniard’s victory was also a significant moment for his biggest rival, Jannik Sinner.

In the first of a Monday ‘Heroes and Villains’ columns highlighting the good, the bad and the ugly in tennis, here’s a look back on the week that was.

Player of the Week – Carlos Alcaraz

The newly promoted world No 2 has been brutally honest in his comments over the last few weeks, as he admitted the pressures of dealing with the expectations he has created around himself have been a big burden.

Four-time Grand Slam champion Alcaraz set the bar so high with his sparkling start to his career, but he continues to find a way to back it up with more success and he was magnificent for periods of his run to victory in Monte Carlo.

The injury to Lorenzo Musetti may have taken some gloss away from his victory in the final, but Alcaraz confirmed he is the king of clay with his dynamic and thrilling win.

On the way down – Stefanos Tsitsipas

With a huge haul of ATP Ranking points to defend over this period of the season, Tsitsipas was under incredible pressure to defend the Monte Carlo Masters title he won last year.

Yet he was always likely to come up short and his quarter-final exit ensured he dropped out of the top ten of the rankings, with his position likely to get worse.

Tsitsipas was a finalist at last year’s Barcelona Open and, with those points dropping off his ranking this week, he is down at No 19 in the Live ATP Rankings.

The Greek needs to find his best form on clay quickly or his time at the top of the game may be coming to an end.

Why was April 13th significant?

Carlos Alcaraz’s Monte Carlo Masters win was a significant moment in the tennis season on Sunday, yet his victory came on a day that has been circled in the diary of his greatest rival for several weeks.

World No 1 Jannik Sinner has not been permitted to practice with professional players during the opening phase of his three-month drug suspension, but April 13 was the day he was allowed to get back on court ahead of his comeback at next month’s Rome Masters.

We can expect to see images on social media of Sinner returning to full-time training over the next few days, with the tennis world holding its breath for the comeback of the man still dominating at the top of the ATP Rankings.

Missing out – Billie Jean King Cup

Some great stories were written on court during the Billie Jean King Cup qualifiers, but they struggled to steal the media limelight amid the excitement of the Monte Carlo Masters.

The final line-up for September’s Billie Jean King Cup final in China will see Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Spain, Great Britain, Italy, Japan, USA and the host nation battle it out for the biggest prize in women’s team tennis in Shenzhen this September.

Tennis News

Money and points earned by Alcaraz, Musetti, Fils and Djokovic at Monte Carlo Masters

Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal react to Carlos Alcaraz’s Monte Carlo Masters title win

Yet will the world be watching as the Billie Jean King Cup battles for space on a crowded media landscape? Sadly, it seems as if this competition is fighting a losing battle to retain attention and that is a shame because it deserves to retain a strong place on the tennis stage.

Stat of the week

Jannik Sinner may be banned from tennis as he serves his doping suspension, but he continues to hold a strong lead at the top of the world rankings.

Now he is joining some big names on the ATP list as since the inaugural ATP Tour season in 1990, only four players have had a longer opening run as world No 1 than Sinner, who is toasting his 45th week at the top – Roger Federer, Lleyton Hewitt, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal.

Shot of the week – Carlos Alcaraz’s tweener lob

Ridiculous! pic.twitter.com/05eGwJc9Q4

— Kevin Palmer (@RealKevinPalmer) April 10, 2025

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