At his best, Cristian Garin is one of the best clay-court players on the ATP Tour, but Holger Rune dominated the Chilean on Monday.

The #NextGenATP star from Denmark eliminated the fifth seed 6-3, 6-1 in one hour and 25 minutes to reach the second round of the Serbia Open in Belgrade. The 18-year-old will next play home favourite Dusan Lajovic or Japanese qualifier Taro Daniel.

The victory continued a hot streak for Rune, who earlier this month won the Sanremo Challenger and qualified for the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters, where he upset Aslan Karatsev in the first round.

Rune put constant pressure on Garin, earning 17 break points and converting six of them. The teen, who is at a career-high No. 72 in the ATP Rankings, won 58 per cent of his return points on his Belgrade debut.

In other action, Slovenian Aljaz Bedene clawed past Kazakhstan’s Mikhail Kukushkin 7-6(4), 4-6, 6-3 after two hours and 38 minutes. The World No. 164 will play sixth seed Fabio Fognini or Marco Cecchinato for a place in the quarter-finals.

Did You Know?
Entering their clash on Monday, Garin had the same number of clay-court ATP Tour titles (5) as Rune had tour-level match wins on the surface.

No. 27 Alejandro Davidovich Fokina +19 (Career High)
The Spaniard has risen into the Top 30 in the ATP Rankings following his dream run to the final at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters. The 22-year-old earned standout wins against World No. 1 Novak Djokovic and Indian Wells champ Taylor Fritz as he advanced to his maiden tour-level championship match. However, he could not overcome Stefanos Tsitsipas in the final, with the Greek retaining his crown. Read Monte Carlo Final Report & Watch Highlights.

View Latest ATP Rankings

No. 23 Grigor Dimitrov +6
The 30-year-old produced some of his best tennis at the clay-court event in Monte Carlo as he upset seeded pair Casper Ruud and Hubert Hurkacz to reach his second semi-final in the Principality (2018). The Bulgarian has now been beyond the quarter-final stage at three of the past four ATP Masters 1000 events.

No. 68 Lorenzo Musetti, +15
#NextGenATP Italian Musetti earned the biggest win of his season when he downed World No. 9 Felix Auger-Aliassime in the second round in Monte Carlo. The 20-year-old produced a high quality display full of winners off both wings to stun the Rotterdam winner. It was the third time Musetti had advanced to the third round at a Masters 1000 tournament, after reaching that stage in Rome in 2020 and Miami in 2021.

Other Notable Top 100 Movers
No. 15 Diego Schwartzman +1
No. 32 Albert Ramos-Vinolas, +5
No. 33 Alexander Bublik, +3
No. 37 Sebastian Korda, +5 (Career High)
No. 50 Laslo Djere, +12
No. 60 Sebastian Baez, +6
No. 72 Holger Rune, +7 (Career High)

This week on the ATP Tennis Podcast, presented by Seb Lauzier…

STEFANOS TSITSIPAS MONTE CARLO WINNER’S INTERVIEW: ‘I’m very proud of myself. Things didn’t seem to be going well at one point but I managed to keep well composed and kept believing that I could finish it off. I’m really proud of the belief I put into my game. Sometimes you doubt yourself but it’s important to keep your head high and do the best you can.’

GRIGOR DIMITROV ON HIS BACKHAND SLICE: ’Slice is a volatile shot and it’s one of the first shots I actually learned, I think it’s the first shot my dad taught me and I think especially for one-handers it’s vital. Against any opponent, if you’re able to find the right way of using it and putting the ball in the right spot, it really gives you an advantage to look at the right shot.’

CRAIG BOYNTON ON PLAYERS TRANSITIONING TO CLAY: ‘It would be like running on wood and now you have to skate. It usually takes a couple of weeks for most to feel comfortable and not even having to think about movement, just more in strategy and you’ll see this as the clay court season progresses.’

JANNIK SINNER ON HIS WITHDRAWAL IN INDIAN WELLS DUE TO BLISTERS: ‘Well it’s the most frustrating thing, because the worst thing for me is to lose without competing. We try to find solutions in the best possible way so it’s not going to happen anymore, but I’m happy right now that I don’t feel anything, the body is good, the body is safe and let’s see in the next couple of months if something happens and if not, we have to change.’

STAN WAWRINKA ON HIS GOALS FOR THE SEASON: ‘I don’t have right now the goal for the end of my career because I’m far away from the level I want to be. I still need a few weeks and months to be feeling good on the court and I think by the end of the year I will know what I want to achieve or what I want to try to achieve before the end of my career.’

JUAN CARLOS FERRERO ON ALCARAZ’S DEVELOPMENT: ‘He’s growing up match-by-match, but of course he’s surprising me week-by-week because after very important things happen to him and this level that he’s doing, he’s handling very good and it seems like everything is normal to him and he tries to do things as normal as he can, but life is changing for him and then team, but the good thing is that I have a lot of experience of that.’

FEATURE ON DOUBLES FROM THE WORLD TENNIS CONFERENCE: Contributions from Jeff Coetzee, Wayne Bryan, Louis Cayer, Craig O’Shannessy, Rohan Bopanna, Joe Salisbury, Jamie Murray and Luke Jensen

Tommy, when you’re on court make sure you think about this.
About what, Sir?
If you make it through qualifying, I’ll give you a pass.
Seriously?
Just remember me.
Okay!

It was April 1999 and Tommy Robredo was one of many teenage talents around the world dreaming of making it as a professional tennis player. He was just 16 years old, but the organisers of the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell had granted him an invitation to play in qualifying at the outdoor clay-court event.

Like any player of his age, Robredo still had to juggle tennis with academic classes at the High Performance Centre in Sant Cugat del Valles where he trained. It was there that he found an unexpected source of support for his tennis in the form of Emili Luque.

Luque was Robredo’s economics teacher and was quick to strike a deal with the young man before his ATP Tour debut. “He told me that I was a fine young man, that I was smart, but I was never in class,” Robredo told ATPTour.com before playing the final tournament of a 23-year career in Barcelona this week.

Before stepping on court at the Real Club de Tenis de Barcelona-1899 on Saturday 10 April, Robredo bumped into Luque, who promised him a pass in economics if he got through qualifying. In the first round, Robredo defeated Jordi Mas 7-5, 6-3. One voice could be heard above the rest in the stands, shouting “Vamos, Tommy!” It was Luque.

Robredo listened to his mentor. So well, in fact, that he next defeated Ivan Ljubicic 7-5, 1-6, 6-2 to stamp his ticket to the main draw. On Monday, before his main-draw debut on the ATP Tour, he had to go to school. That didn’t stop him defeating Italian Davide Sanguinetti 7-6(3), 6-1 in one hour and 20 minutes.

Tommy, do you have tickets for this afternoon?
Yes, I’ll give you one so you can come and watch me.
If you win today, I’ll give you a 7.
Wow! A 7?!
Yup.
Deal.

In one hour and 20 minutes, Robredo left the Italian Davide Sanguinetti for dust, 7-6(3), 6-1. He had claimed his first ATP Tour victory and also bagged himself a 7 in economics. The next day, when he had to go back to class, his teacher couldn’t have been prouder. “He was bowing to me in the hallways,” remembers the Spaniard. “In the second round I met Marat Safin and he spoke to me again.”

Tommy, if you beat Safin, I’ll give you a 10.
A 10?
Yes, a distinction.
Okay!

Safin, who would go on to reach No. 1 in the ATP Rankings just a year later, stormed to the first set 6-1 as the young Robredo looked set to fail to deliver on the deal with his teacher. The youngster produced a stunning turnaround, however, completing a 1-6, 6-4, 6-4 upset to reach the third round of the tournament also known as the ‘Trofeo Conde de Godó’.

“It was on Court 1, which is really intimate, and it fills up quickly,” said Robredo. “My friends were there making noise in the stands. But I remember, especially at 5-4 in the third set, my mother, who was with my aunt and was shouting non-stop, fainted from the stress. Everyone tried to hide her from me, and I was so focused that [even though] I realised [I] carried on with the match.”

Spurred on, he returned to the Real Club de Tenis de Barcelona-1899 to face Todd Martin in the third round. This time he had no tickets for Luque.

Mili, I’m really sorry.
Why, Tommy?
I don’t have any tickets to give you this time.
Don’t worry.
I’m sorry, I’ve had too many requests for them.
Don’t worry, I have to take a class anyway.

Yet as the Catalonian took to the court against the American World No. 8, he heard a familiar voice from the crowd: “Vamos, Tommy!” Robredo did not need to turn around to see who it was. His teacher was there to cheer him on yet again. This time though, his adventure came to an end with a 3-6, 6-7(6) defeat.

The following Monday, when Robredo returned to the classroom, Luque had a small secret to share with him. “He pulled me aside and said, ‘Don’t tell anyone, but I came to school, told them I had gout and I went to Godó,’” said Robredo. “He had spoken to the door staff who knew he was my teacher and they had let him in.”

Years later, Robredo and Luque met again. “I signed up to the UOC (Open University of Catalonia) for a course for over-25s and there was a maths class, so I called him for some help,” said the 12-time tour-level titlist. “Even though he was no longer a teacher at the centre, he would come and give me lessons on the board”.

It was an emotional scene on Court Rainier III after Stefanos Tsitsipas clinched his second consecutive Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters title on Sunday. Immediately following his win against Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, the Greek immediately went to his box to celebrate with his team including his family.

Tsitsipas’ father, Apostolos Tsitsipas, is one of his coaches. After his son’s victory in the Principality, Apostolos told a story of a memory from around Stefanos’ 11th birthday.

“I remember we were in the North of France in Normandy, and he won a masters. He asked to participate in a junior French tour, and he won the masters of four tournaments. He was one of eight best players and he won the masters,” Tsitsipas recalled. “I remember the night before we flew back to Greece, he was not sleeping. He was super excited and he came to me and asked me if he could play only tennis and [not] do anything else in his life, because he feels really great [on] the tennis court.”

Apostolos was a high school teacher at the time and his experience with his students helped inform his realisation when Stefanos told him that.

“I believe one day telling the opinion like this, it’s exactly what they have inside them,” Tsitsipas said. “So my difficulty actually was to manage to bring the best out of him from this dream and this will he had to play tennis.”

Watch Monte Carlo Final Highlights:

The 23-year-old Tsitsipas recently brought former World No. 4 Thomas Enqvist onto his team and Patrick Mouratoglou, the former coach of Serena Williams and current coach of Simona Halep, is also in his box from time to time, including Sunday. But his family is almost always with him, which Apostolos said is important.

“During his career, it’s very important [for] the parents to be around, because it’s a very hard life, traveling. It’s really hard week after week traveling. At some point he starts losing [and that is] orientation of what’s happening in life,” Tsitsipas said. “But if the family is around — like it’s proved this week, when all the family is here, because we now live in the South of France — for him [it] was much more comfortable, it feels like home. That gives him extra strength, I believe.”

It is easy to forget that Tsitsipas underwent surgery on his elbow after last season. He has previously revealed that his doctor did not expect him to compete until the clay-court season. Not only did the Greek make his return at the start of 2022, but he has already added another ATP Masters 1000 trophy to his collection.

Apostolos explained how scary injuries are for players, and how pleased he is with his son’s comeback.

“I didn’t know really that it was so hard for him. He was telling me after Torino or Nitto [ATP] Finals that [it was] feeling very painful,” Tsitsipas said. “We decided to make a surgery. It was very successful, and now he’s pain-free and I’m very happy for that.”

The Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters final was won in the deuce court.

Stefanos Tsitsipas claimed back-to-back Masters 1000 titles in the Principality with a 6-3, 7-6(3) victory over Alejandro Davidovich Fokina on Sunday. The two players played even when battling through the Ad court, pounding backhands and run-around forehands. It was Deuce-court forehands where the 6’4” Greek stood tall and wrestled control of baseline exchanges.

Deuce-Court Forehands
Tsitsipas hit 65 forehand groundstrokes standing in the Deuce court and Davidovich Fokina slightly less with 55. It was Tsitsipas who won the honours on this half of the court, mainly by keeping his errors considerably lower than his opponent.

What’s also important to note is that Tsitsipas forced eight errors when hitting his forehand from the Deuce court. Davidovich Fokina was far less potent, only able to extract two errors with his forehands originating from the Deuce court.

Ad-Court Forehands

Both players were looking to hit as many run-around forehands as possible when standing in the Ad court. Tsitsipas hit 56 while Davidovich Fokina was slightly higher at 59.

Overall, there was very little separating the two players when hitting run-around forehands in the Ad court. Davidovich Fokina was more potent from this side, forcing seven errors, while Tsitsipas managed just four.

Backhands

Davidovich Fokina slightly took the honours with backhand performance, striking four winners while yielding 15 errors. The Spaniard also hit considerably more backhands during the final with 106 to the Greek’s 84.

Davidovich Fokina was always looking to take hit backhand down the line to attack Tsitsipas or play back behind him wide through the Ad court. Tsitsipas committed 12 errors from a Davidovich Fokina backhand, while the Spaniard made 13 errors from Tsitsipas’ backhand wing.

When you combine all winners and errors in the Ad court from run-around forehands and backhands, Tsitsipas was -14 to Davidovich Fokina’s -13. This one-point difference for the Spaniard is in stark contrast to the five-point gap in the Deuce court for the Greek.

Forehands vs. Backhands
Another pivotal layer of the match that fuelled Tsitsipas’ hard-fought victory was simply the volume of forehand groundstrokes he was able to hit.

Tsitsipas Groundstrokes
• Forehands = 59% (121)
• Backhands = 41% (84)
• Total = 205

Davidovich Fokina Groundstrokes
• Forehands = 52% (114)
• Backhands = 48% (106)
• Total = 220

Tsitsipas was able to hit 59 per cent (121/205) of groundstrokes for the match, while Davidovich Fokina was considerably lower at 52 per cent (114/220). Advantage, defending champion.

Forehand Returns
Forehand returns were another critical area where Tsitsipas’ forehand stood tall against Davidovich Fokina’s forehand. Tsitsipas hit 25 forehand returns for the match and only missed one of them. Davidovich Fokina hit 18 forehand returns and failed to put eight of them back in play.

Overall, Tsitsipas’ backhand did exactly what it needed to — it did not bleed errors. He also turned 65 backhands into run-around forehands in the Ad court, providing pivotal support against Davidovich Fokina’s heavy backhand cross court.

But Tsitsipas can especially look to his forehand performance in the Deuce court as a key location where he was able to arm-wrestle control of critical baseline exchanges on the red dirt by the sea.

Stefanos Tsitsipas was thrilled to successfully his defend his Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters title this week. However, what made it “double” special was how deep he had to dig to lift the trophy in the Principality again.

“It was a great way to top it off with lots of fighting in the end,” Tsitsipas said. “[It was] not so much [about] going for clean winners or for too much beautiful tennis, but trying to put in the hard work in every single point and go over the limits, as I like to say.”

In the semi-finals, Tsitsipas rallied from 0-4 in the third set against Diego Schwartzman. In the final, he let slip an opportunity to serve out the match at 5-4 in the second set. But instead of panicking, the two-time Monte Carlo champion quickly rebounded to complete his victory in the ensuing tie-break.

Tsitsipas earned 1,000 ATP Rankings points with his win, which will propel him to second in the ATP Race To Turin on Monday as he tries to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals for the fourth consecutive year. But the 23-year-old has set his sights even higher.

“I have a surface that I might be adjusting easier to than other surfaces and we know which one that is,” Tsitsipas said of his recent performance on clay. “My goal ever since I have realised that… is if I’m able to score points [on] this surface as much as I can and really concentrate on the other surfaces a bit more, I can really pull off a great year, maybe even finishing among the two best tennis players at the end of the season.”

The 2019 Nitto ATP Finals champion is off to a strong start to his season, which has included a run to the Australian Open semi-finals and the Rotterdam final on top of his Monte Carlo triumph. He is aiming to bring the level he did in the Principality throughout the year.

“I’m always trying to bring the best I can from clay and adjust accordingly to the other surfaces. I really want to be doing well on hard and grass this year, because I feel like I can really get a lot of points there,” Tsitsipas said. “If I’m able to win matches with the same consistency I do on this surface, I think I have a big chance of finishing the year [in] the top two, which is a huge goal of mine to be finally there and belong in that special group of players.”

Only five active players — Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray and Daniil Medvedev — have reached World No. 2, and all of them have ascended to World No. 1. Tsitsipas has reached a career-high of World No. 3.

“My tennis is great I think everywhere, with clay maybe being the surface that I can adjust [to] the best. I have had moments where I was trying to apply what I apply on clay on hard. Doesn’t really seem to be working much. Sometimes it’s not really the way to go,” Tsitsipas said. “But this has also [taught] me a lot that I should adjust and I should never really become obsessive that, ‘Okay, whatever works on clay should work on faster surfaces’.”

For now, Tsitsipas will not look too far ahead. The Greek is right back to work at the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell this week. The top seed is a two-time finalist at the ATP 500, where he will try to lift another trophy.

Despite falling to Stefanos Tsitsipas in the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters final, Spaniard Alejandro Davidovich Fokina was feeling positive and encouraged Sunday as he reflected on his dream run to his first ATP Tour final.

The 22-year-old arrived at the Monte Carlo Country Club holding a 4-9 record on the season. However, he played some of the best tennis of his career on the red dirt as he earned five wins at the event, including standout victories against World No. 1 Novak Djokovic and Indian Wells titlist Taylor Fritz.

“[It] was [an] amazing experience,” Davidovich Fokina said in his on-court interview. “I enjoyed every day, winning big [matches]. Beating Djoko and players that are at the height of their careers. It was a tough week. A lot of emotions.

“This week with my team was amazing. [It] was a dream come true to play here in Monte Carlo [with] full crowds. To hear the people support was amazing. I was at the bench thinking, ‘Wow, what a moment’.”

Davidovich Fokina’s best result at an ATP Masters 1000 event prior to the week came in Monte Carlo last season, when he advanced to the quarter-finals before Tsitsipas stopped him.

Following his run to the championship match, the Spaniard is projected to rise to a career-high No. 27 in the ATP Rankings on Monday. Davidovich Fokina admitted that he would not be getting carried away though and will take nothing for granted in his upcoming events as he bids to build on his newfound momentum.

“Beating these guys [gives you] much confidence,” Davidovich Fokina said. “After this week I don’t know if I will win matches. I will be focused like this week on every point, every game. I will enjoy every moment now. Doesn’t matter if I lose or if I win. I’m so happy with myself, what I am doing and just to keep in that line.”

A crucial factor behind Davidovich Fokina’s rise has been his strong relationship with coach Jorge Aguire, who has supported the Spaniard for more than a decade.

“We started when I was 10, 11 years old,” Davidovich Fokina added. “From the beginning, he taught me a lot of things. He keeps me in the line every year. Without him, I [would not] be a tennis player. He lives every match like me. He has a lot of emotions every match. I’m thankful that he gives everything every match because I feel it. We are so connected out of the court and on the court.”

Stefanos Tsitsipas successfully defended his Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters title Sunday, dispatching Spaniard Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 6-3, 7-6(3) to capture his second ATP Masters 1000 crown. 

“I am very proud of myself,” Tsitsipas said in his on-court interview. “Things weren’t going well at one point, but I managed to stay composed to finish the match off. I am really proud with the belief I put in my game. Sometimes you doubt yourself, but it is always important to keep your head high.”

The Greek, who was appearing in his fourth final at this level, struck his forehands with fierce topspin and accuracy and recovered from failing to serve out the match at 5-4 in the second set to capture his first trophy of the season.

“He fought in moments I didn’t expect him to fight,” Tsitsipas said. “He can hit incredible winners out of nowhere and play unpredictably. But I was able to minimise that. I knew he would be a dangerous opponent but that is a great win for me. I think we will see great results from him in the future.”

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With his one-hour, 34-minute victory, Tsitsipas has become the sixth player to win back-to-back Monte Carlo titles in the Open Era joining Rafael Nadal (2005-12, 2016-18), Juan Carlos Ferrero (2002-03), Thomas Muster (1995-96), Bjorn Borg (1979-1980) and Ilie Nastase (1971-1973).

In a standout week, the third seed produced consistent and aggressive tennis to capture his first title since he triumphed in Lyon last May. Tsitsipas overcame 2019 titlist Fabio Fognini, Laslo Djere and second seed Alexander Zverev in straight sets, but survived a major scare in the quarter-finals against Diego Schwartzman, rallying from 0-4 in the third set to advance. 

The 23-year-old, who defeated Andrey Rublev in the championship match in Monte Carlo last season, will climb to No. 2 in the ATP Race To Turin on Monday. The Greek has now won eight tour-level trophies, with four coming on clay. 

In a fast start, Davidovich Fokina showed little sign of nerves on Court Rainier III as he started the better, quickly finding his range on his forehand from the baseline to earn an early break. However, Tsitsipas quickly responded as he hit with greater depth, firing a forehand past the Spaniard to break back for 2-2.

The Greek continued to impose his heavy-hitting game on Davidovich Fokina, pulling the 22-year-old from corner to corner as he won four of the next five games to move ahead after 31 minutes.

Fuelled by momentum, Tsitsipas then seized further control at the start of the second set as he overpowered Davidovich Fokina with his ball-striking. The 23-year-old broke for a 2-0 lead, but Davidovich Fokina showcased the grit, which has seen him achieve breakthrough results the week. Pumped up and in the zone, the Spaniard began to club the ball with greater width, soaring back to 4-4.

Tsitsipas broke again when he received a little bit of luck on break point at 4-4 when his mis-hit forehand landed in, before he won the point with a topspin forehand that the Spaniard was unable to return. The Greek could not serve out the match though, with Davidovich Fokina raising his level to force a tie-break. Tsitsipas would not be denied a second Masters 1000 crown, though, playing more consistently in the tie-break as he forced errors from Davidovich Fokina with his width to triumph.

Tsitsipas improved to 3-0 in his ATP Head2Head series with Davidovich Fokina. He also eliminated the World No. 46 in Monte Carlo last year, when the Spaniard was forced to retire after losing the first set 5-7 in their quarter-final clash.

Davidovich Fokina was competing in his maiden ATP Tour final, having earned wins over Marcos Giron, World No. 1 Novak Djokovic, David Goffin, Indian Wells titlist Taylor Fritz and 2018 semi-finalist Grigor Dimitrov.

The 22-year-old was aiming to become the first unseeded winner at the Monte Carlo Country Club since Muster in 1992 and also the first player since qualifier Albert Portas in Hamburg in 2001 to capture his maiden tour-level title at a Masters 1000 event.

Despite defeat, Davidovich Fokina is projected to rise to a career-high No. 27 in the ATP Rankings following his dream run in the Principality. He arrived in Monte Carlo holding just a 4-9 record on the season and having lost all three of his previous tour-level semi-finals.