Clay Sensation Thiem Returns Tuesday

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Get the popcorn cooking early Tuesday — you’re going to need it.

Five Top 8 seeds are in action at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters, the first clay-court ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event of the season. And fans won’t have to ease into the day, either.

View FedEx ATP Head2Head for the following matches from the 2018 Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters & vote for who you think will win! 
Thiem v Rublev | Goffin v Tsitsipas | Verdasco v Cuevas

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Right off the bat, No. 5 seed Dominic Thiem takes on #NextGenATP Russian Andrey Rublev, last year’s Next Gen ATP Finals runner-up, in a battle between two of the biggest hitters on the ATP World Tour on Court Rainier III. The Austrian, Thiem, who won the pair’s only previous FedEx ATP Head2Head meeting last year in Vienna, is returning to action for the first time since suffering an ankle injury in the third round of the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells.

“All in all I’m really satisfied with the recovery and I’m 100 per cent for playing,” said Thiem, who was second on the ATP World Tour in 2017 with 22 clay-court wins, trailing only Rafael Nadal. “It’s tough to come here to collect matches because it’s really tough from the first round, so I’m here to compete from my first round… I practised well, so I’m ready to play good here.”

According to the FedEx ATP Performance Zone, Thiem’s win-rate on clay is 15th-best all-time at 74.6 per cent (91-31). Even so, it will be a tough challenge against the 20-year-old Rublev, who is No. 33 in the ATP Rankings. The aggressive-playing Russian advanced to the final at Doha to begin the season (l. to Monfils), but has lost his past five tour-level matches. So Rublev will be eager to put in a good performance against Thiem, as he seeks his second Top 10 triumph (1-8).

One of the most intriguing matches of the day is the final match on, pitting two-time Masters 1000 champion Alexander Zverev against the crafty left-hander, World No. 28 Gilles Muller. The Luxembourg star won their only previous FedEx ATP Head2Head meeting on the grass of ‘s-Hertogenbosch last season, and also defeated the German on the ATP Challenger Tour in 2015.

But Zverev has proven his form, advancing to the final of the Miami Open presented by Itau two weeks ago, his third championship match at the elite level. On the other hand, Muller, who thrives on his pinpoint service accuracy on quicker surfaces, is 0-4 against Top 10 players on clay.

Alexander’s brother, Mischa, has an even tougher test. The left-handed serve-and-volleyer faces the top-ranked Frenchman, Lucas Pouille. The No. 7 seed advanced to his second Masters 1000 semi-final in Monte-Carlo last year, and broke into the Top 10 of the ATP Rankings last month for two weeks, before dropping to his current spot at World No. 11.

Zverev, who seeks back-to-back match wins for the first time in 2018, will force Pouille to make tough shots as he likely will venture to net often in their first FedEx ATP Head2Head meeting. In the first round, Zverev ousted #NextGenATP Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime.

Reigning Nitto ATP Finals champion Grigor Dimitrov, a resident of Monte-Carlo, opens his clay-court campaign against French qualifier Pierre-Hugues Herbert. Dimitrov is making his sixth straight Monte-Carlo appearance and will look to stave off doubles standout Herbert, who is 1-7 lifetime against Top 10 opponents.

In one of the most tactically appealing matches of the day, 2010 Monte-Carlo finalist Fernando Verdasco takes on last year’s quarter-finalist and doubles champion Pablo Cuevas for the fifth time (tied 2-2) in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series. Verdasco is two wins away from becoming the sixth Spaniard in the Open Era to earn 500 career wins.

Other Matches To Watch

• #NextGenATP Greek qualifier Stefanos Tsitsipas looks for his second win against Top 10 player David Goffin. Tsitsipas prevailed last October in Antwerp, and showed excellent tennis in defeating fellow #NextGenATP star Denis Shapovalov on Monday.

• Wild card Gilles Simon, this year’s Pune titlist, looks for his first win (0-2) against countryman Adrian Mannarino, who won both of their previous FedEx ATP Head2Head meetings in 2011.

• Fabio Fognini plays qualifier Ilya Ivashka of Belarus for the first time. Fognini is closing in on 300 career wins (298).

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Jared Donaldson: World number 51 confronts umpire on court after wrong decision

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Djokovic 'Inspired' & Ready In Monte-Carlo

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Two-time Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters champion Novak Djokovic stepped on Court Rainier III Monday at the Monte-Carlo Country Club for just his seventh match since 2017 Wimbledon. The Serbian arrived on a three-match losing streak, his first of that length since the end of 2007, when he dropped five in a row.

But after defeating countryman Dusan Lajovic in under an hour with the loss of just one game, Djokovic delivered exciting news.

“After two years finally I can play without pain,” Djokovic said.

In February, the 30-year-old announced a ‘small medical intervention’ on his right elbow to help him recover from an injury that had bothered him for two years. The Serbian played his first matches since the Australian Open (l. to Chung) at Indian Wells (l. to Daniel) and Miami (l. to Paire), less than two months after that ‘intervention’.

“The intervention was done right, and I came back already after five weeks on the court from the moment I had the surgery. That’s amazing,” Djokovic said. “I still obviously wasn’t ready game-wise, physically. So Indian Wells and Miami were really kind of a struggle on the court for me mentally. I know that I can play much better than that, but I couldn’t. I just wasn’t ready.”

But now, after a devastating performance in which Djokovic won 67 per cent of return points and showed signs of the form that helped him finish the year at No. 1 in the ATP Rankings four times, the right-hander is excited to move forward.

“I thought it was good considering the amount of matches I’ve played in the past almost 12 months,” Djokovic said. “With injury and everything that was happening the past couple months, the post-surgery period, me trying to come back to Indian Wells and Miami, and obviously playing well below the desired level, it wasn’t that easy for me to cope with all of that. At the same time it made me I think even more inspired to come back and try to play the way I played today.

“Under the circumstances and considering I haven’t played too many official matches, I thought I played well. I thought I started the tournament well. It’s [my] first match on clay,” Djokovic said. “All in all, it was a great start of the tournament.”

And Djokovic was also excited to have Marian Vajda, his coach from June 2006 until May 2017, back in his corner.

“It’s a fresh start I think for both of us. I missed him,” Djokovic said, before cracking a smile. “I have a feeling that he missed me or tennis or both.”

Read: Djokovic, Vajda Reunite In Monte-Carlo

The No. 9 seed says he does not yet have a long-term commitment with Vajda, but that their time together thus far has gone as well as possible.

“We both enjoyed a lot the past 10 days of practice we had. He knows me better than any tennis coach I’ve worked with. He’s a friend. He’s someone I can share a lot of things with, whether it’s professional or private life. He’s always there for me,” Djokovic said. “He knows me inside-out. He knows what I need in order to get to the highest possible level of play. We could not ask for a better start.”

Now that the former World No. 1 is pain-free, he can begin his climb back to top form. That journey will continue in the second round against Indian Wells semi-finalist Borna Coric.

“The first practice we had, that’s what I felt. I felt safe on the court, I felt motivated, a lot of great things,” Djokovic said. “We’re going to both work to keep it that way.”

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Djokovic Reflects On Impressive R1 Win, Vajda Reunion

Two-time former Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters champion Novak Djokovic expresses his delight after a comfortable R1 victory and discusses his feelings about reuniting with former coach Marian Vajda. Watch live tennis at tennistv.com.

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Hot Shot: Tsitsipas Turns Defence Into Attack Monte-Carlo 2018

Watch as Stefanos Tsitsipas hits a short-angled backhand winner under pressure against fellow #NextGenATP star Denis Shapovalov. Photo: Realis/Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters. Watch live tennis at tennistv.com.

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Tsitsipas Shines Against Fellow #NextGenATP Star

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Stefanos Tsitsipas won a battle of #NextGenATP 19-year-olds at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters on Monday.

Competing with confidence after two straight-sets victories in the qualifying tournament, Tsitsipas knocked out Canadian Denis Shapovalov 6-3, 6-4 in 81 minutes for a place in the second round.

Tsitsipas won four of the first five games and recovered from 0/40 at 4-2. From 5-3 in the first set, the Greek qualifier won three straight games, but was soon pinned back by Shapovalov, who was also making his debut at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournament. The crucial break came in a 10-point seventh game of the second set.

World No. 71 Tsitsipas will next challenge sixth seed and last year’s semi-finalist David Goffin of Belgium on Tuesday evening. He earned his only previous Top 10 victory last year in Antwerp against Goffin to gain a 1-0 lead in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series.

After losing the first game, it was one-way traffic for Spain’s No. 11 seed Roberto Bautista Agut, who defeated Peter Gojowczyk 6-4, 6-3 in 80 minutes. Bautista Agut has already picked up two ATP World Tour trophies this year at the ASB Classic (d. del Potro) and the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships (d. Pouille). He awaits France’s Benoit Paire or Feliciano Lopez of Spain.

Last year’s finalist Albert Ramos-Vinolas, the No. 15 seed, wrestled control away from American Jared Donaldson in a 6-3, 6-3 win over one hour and 37 minutes. He will next play Philipp Kohlschreiber of Germany or American Tennys Sandgren, who finished runner-up in Houston on Sunday at the Fayez Sarofim & Co. U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championship (l. to Johnson).

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Dimitrov/Goffin Combine For Doubles Success

Five months ago, Grigor Dimitrov and David Goffin faced each other in the most important match of their careers in the 2017 Nitto ATP Finals championship match. On Monday, they put their singles rivalry aside, partnering for the first time in their careers to beat Frenchmen Adrian Mannarino and Fabrice Martin 7-6(3), 6-2 in 75 minutes at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters.

The Bulgarian-Belgian pairing had never played doubles with or against each other at any professional level, and Goffin, who had not played doubles since last April, owned just a 4-20 record in the discipline. So perhaps it was not a surprised when the team of singles stars trailed 3-0 in the opening set, but they battled back from there. A break in the seventh game reset the balance and Dimitrov/Goffin grew in confidence from there, taking a one-set advantage after an impressive tie-break.

With the freedom of a one-set cushion, Dimitrov and Goffin improved in the second set, winning 100 per cent (10/10) of points behind their first serves and converting on each of their two break point opportunities to reach the second round. They will face eighth seeds Ivan Dodig and Rajeev Ram for a spot in the quarter-finals.

Alexander Zverev ensured there was a third Top 10 singles representative in the second round, teaming up with brother Mischa Zverev to beat Andres Molteni and Diego Schwartzman 6-2, 4-6, 10/8. The Zverevs won four consecutive games from 2-2 in the first set, but Molteni and Schwartzman replied in style, dropping just seven service points in the second set to reach a Match Tie-break.

From there, the Germans took control, establishing a 9/6 lead before securing the 76-minute win on their third match point. The Zverev brothers will meet Oliver Marach and Mate Pavic, who have won three tour-level titles this year (Doha, Auckland, Australian Open) in the second round.

Pablo Cuevas and Marcel Granollers also emerged victorious in a decisive Match Tie-break, beating Damir Dzumhur and Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi 6-2, 3-6, 10-6 in 81 minutes. Cuevas, who won the title alongside Rohan Bopanna in 2017, looked to be cruising alongside Granollers at 6-2, 2-0, but were forced the distance by the alternates before booking a second-round meeting with 2016 champions Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut.

Monaco’s Romain Arneodo and Hugo Nys defeated Santiago Gonzalez and Ben McLachlan 6-4, 7-6(2). The wild cards, who reached the semi-finals in 2017 (l. to Bopanna/Cuevas), saved both break points they faced in the 89-minute contest.

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Pouille Talks Favourite Surface & Dirty Socks

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Djokovic In Devastating Form In Monte-Carlo

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Novak Djokovic sent out a warning to his ATP World Tour rivals on Monday in his first match since reuniting with Marian Vajda, his coach from June 2006 to May 2017.

Two-time former champion Djokovic didn’t let national sentiment, or even friendship, get in the way of a 6-0, 6-1 victory over fellow Serbian Dusan Lajovic at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters. His fourth match win of the year came in 56 minutes.

“I thought it was good considering the amount of matches I’ve played in the last almost 12 months,” Djokovic said. “I thought all in all, it was a great start of the tournament.”

The ninth seed, who resides in a seafront Monte-Carlo apartment, required just 22 minutes to wrap up the opener — finishing with a forehand winner down the line past qualifier Lajovic. The capacity 10,200-strong crowd were delighted when Lajovic won his first game for 1-1, with a smash winner, in a competitive second set. Djokovic saved break points at 1-1, 30/40 and at 3/1, 30/40.

The 30-year-old will now prepare to face Croatia’s Borna Coric, who broke a three-match losing streak at the Monte-Carlo Country Club in beating 36-year-old Frenchman Julien Benneteau 6-2, 6-3 in 65 minutes.

Coric reached his first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 semi-final at the BNP Paribas Open (l. to Federer) last month. “He’s very good in the Masters 1000s now,” said Benneteau, when asked about Coric. “He’s very complete and he serves very well. Today he was the best.”

Djokovic, who could potentially meet top seed and 10-time champion Rafael Nadal in the third round, has a 31-9 record at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournament. He lifted the trophy on Court Rainier III in 2013 (d. Nadal) and 2015 (d. Berdych).

Elsewhere, #NextGenATP Russian Andrey Rublev denied Dutchman Robin Haase the 200th match win of his career early in the afternoon with a 7-6(7), 2-6, 7-5 win over two hours and 30 minutes. Rublev saved four match points in the first set – one at 5-6, 30/40, then from 4/6 and 6/7 in the tie-break. The 20-year-old broke 2012 quarter-finalist Haase in a 20-point game and will next challenge fifth-seeded Austrian Dominic Thiem.

Did You Know?
Djokovic’s first match at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters came 12 years ago — the Serbian lost to then-World No. 1 Roger Federer in three sets.

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Evans set to return at Glasgow Trophy after drugs ban

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