Refreshed and raring to go, two-time champion Stefanos Tsitsipas is excited to chase a third consecutive Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters title this week in the Principality.

The Greek defeated Andrey Rublev in the 2021 final to win his maiden ATP Masters 1000 crown, before he overcame Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in last year’s championship match to reign at the clay-court event again.

“It is a pleasure to return to the clay-court swing,” Tsitsipas said in his pre-tournament press conference on Saturday. “It is one of the most fascinating parts of the year, starting the clay-court swing in Monte-Carlo, which is my favourite place in the world.

“I am looking to make it three [titles]. But I won’t take too much time thinking of it. I am feeling refreshed that we are able to start playing on clay again.”

The second seed suffered a disappointing fourth-round exit in Miami last month, but arrives in Monte-Carlo holding a 12-2 record at the event. The World No. 3, who resides in Monte-Carlo, is excited to be back on clay and hopes his fond memories at the event will help him quickly find his range.

“I am enjoying the fact that I have won this event twice. I feel good playing here, I feel good in front of my fans,” Tsitsipas said. “The Monegasque people have showed their love and support and the Italian and French fans. Also the Greek community. They are here and I know most of them.

“It is my home tournament and having won the event twice. It gives me so much happiness that I was able to live and experience those moments. I am hoping to make it more than twice this week.”

Tsitsipas has often produced his best level on clay. Four of his 10 tour-level titles have come on the surface and he reached the Roland Garros final in 2021.

“I really like the tactical analysis of clay-court tennis. I think it is deeper than people think. There is a lot of strategy involved,” Tsitsipas said. “You are not expecting to hit crazy winners on a surface like clay. You are dealing with much patience when you are playing. It involves more around unforced and forced errors. The way you can open the court. The main priority is not to hit a winner, but be precise and open the court.”

Chasing his first title of the season, Tsitsipas will begin his campaign against Benjamin Bonzi or Bernabe Zapata Miralles.

Novak Djokovic returns to the ATP Tour this week at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters, where he is chasing a record-extending 39th ATP Masters 1000 crown.

However, before taking to court at the clay-court event, the World No. 1 joined Italian Jannik Sinner on Saturday at Larvotto Beach, where the pair shared jokes and competed in a mini-match in front of fans.

Djokovic and Sinner hit trick shots, posed for photos and chatted with each other as they delighted the supporters in Monte-Carlo ahead of the third ATP Masters 1000 of the season.

The singles stars, who are seeded to meet in the quarter-finals, arrived in the Principality earlier this week and have hit at the Monte-Carlo Country Club.

Djokovic is a two-time champion in Monaco, triumphing in 2013 and 2015. The Serbian last competed at the start of March, when he lost against Daniil Medvedev in the Dubai semi-finals. The seventh seed Sinner, who is making his third appearance in Monte-Carlo, reached his second ATP Masters 1000 final in Miami earlier this month.

For the third time this week at the Grand Prix Hassan II, Roberto Carballes Baena has knocked off a seeded opponent in Marrakech. On Saturday, the Spaniard came from behind to upset second seed Daniel Evans 2-6, 6-4, 6-2 and advance to his second tour-level final.

The 30-year-old, who won his only previous title match in Quito in 2018, picked up his first win against a Top 35 opponent this season in what was his first tour-level semi-final since he reached the last four in Bastad in 2021.

“I don’t know why, but all the time that I come here I think I play my best tennis,” said Carballes Baena, who improved to 10-3 in Marrakech, with a previous semi-final run in 2014 as a qualifier and a quarter-final run last season. “I won my first Challenger also here [in Morocco]. I feel very good and I will try to do a good match tomorrow.”

He will face France’s Alexandre Muller in Sunday’s final. Watch from 4 p.m. CET/10 a.m. ET.

Carballes Baena used a five-game flurry to turn the match around from 3-4 in the second set. He had not broken serve since the opening game of the match, but he did so in consecutive return games to win the second set and take a 2-0 lead in the decider.

As his relentless baseline game continued to reap rewards, the Spaniard’s third break of the match gave him a 4-1 lead, and he consolidated his advantage by saving a break point in the ensuing service game.

After knocking of fifth seed Maxime Cressy in the first round and fourth seed Tallon Griekspoor in the quarters, both in three sets, Carballes Baena will meet the unseeded Muller in Sunday’s final.

France’s Muller backed up his three-set quarter-final upset of top seed Lorenzo Musetti with a 7-6(3), 7-5 win against Pavel Kotov. In an eventful matchup of first-time tour-level semi-finalists, Muller saved five of eight break points on serve while converting on four of his five break chances on return.

The 26-year-old, who entered Marrakech with three tour-level wins, has earned four victories this week. His semi-final triumph lifted him back into the Top 100 of the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings at No. 96, a mark that would match his career high. Muller could move up to No. 78 by winning his maiden ATP Tour title on Sunday.

Chasing their first title of the season at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters, Wesley Koolhof and Neal Skupski could have to overcome a series of ATP Tour singles stars in the Principality.

The top seeds, who won three ATP Masters 1000 trophies last year, could face Andrey Rublev and Karen Khachanov in their opening match, with Jannik Sinner and Diego Schwartzman potential quarter-final opponents. Rublev and Khachanov start against Jamie Murray and Michael Venus, while Sinner and Schwartzman take on eighth seeds Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos.

View Doubles Draw

Fourth seeds Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic are seeded to meet Koolhof and Skupski in the semi-finals. The Croatians lifted the trophy in Monaco in 2021 and will begin this year’s quest against Simone Bolelli and Lorenzo Musetti or Taylor Fritz and Holger Rune.

Defending champions Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury arrive at the clay-court event aiming to kickstart their season. The second seeds, who have won three ATP Masters 1000 titles as a team, hold a 6-5 record on the year, with their best result a run to the semi-finals in Pune.

They begin against wild cards Romain Arneodo and Sam Weissborn or Marcelo Melo and Alexander Zverev. Ram and Salisbury could face Lloyd Glasspool and Harri Heliovaara in the quarter-finals. The sixth seeds play wild cards Nicolas Mahut and Stan Wawrinka in the first round. Frenchman Mahut clinched the crown in Monaco in 2016 with Pierre-Hugues Herbert.

Third seeds Marcelo Arevalo and Jean-Julien Rojer, who are also in the bottom half, have strong pedigree on clay, triumphing at Roland Garros as a team last season. They will face wild cards Petros Tsitsipas and Stefanos Tsitsipas or Grigor Dimitrov and Hubert Hurkacz in their first match.

The first clay-court ATP Masters 1000 event of the season commences this week at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters, where a host of Top 10 stars are in action in the Principality.

Two-time champion Novak Djokovic, back at No. 1 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, will lead the field. Stefanos Tsitsipas eyes a third consecutive title in Monaco and Daniil Medvedev, who has triumphed on Tour four times this year, will be chasing his first trophy on clay.

Here are 10 things to watch this week.

1) Djokovic Returns: The Serbian will compete for the first time since March when he fell in the semi-finals in Dubai against Medvedev. Djokovic ceded top spot in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings after Carlos Alcaraz won Indian Wells, but is back at No. 1 again now after the 19-year-old Spaniard failed to defend his Miami title. Djokovic, who triumphed in Monte-Carlo in 2013 and 2015, is chasing his third title of the season after winning an ATP 250 in Adelaide and his 22nd major at the Australian Open.

2) Two-Time Champ Tsitsipas: Tsitsipas holds fond memories in Monte-Carlo, where he lifted the trophy in 2021 and 2022. The Greek, who defeated Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in last year’s final, will hope the ATP Masters 1000 event can help him kick on after he suffered a second-round exit in Indian Wells and a fourth-round exit in Miami. The 24-year-old holds a 12-2 record in the Principality.

3) Ruud Chasing Best Level: Casper Ruud has struggled to find his best form this season, suffering third-round defeats in Indian Wells and Miami. The Norwegian, who is into the semi-finals in Estoril this week, has often produced his best tennis on clay, with eight of his nine titles coming on the surface. The 24-year-old’s best result in Monte-Carlo came in 2021 when he reached the semi-finals.

4) Medvedev On A Roll: Medvedev arrives in the Principality in red-hot form, having won four tour-level titles since February. The 27-year-old captured his fifth ATP Masters 1000 crown in Miami earlier this month, which helped move him to No. 1 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin. Holding a 29-3 record on the season, Medvedev, who reached the semi-finals in Monte-Carlo in his previous appearance in 2019, is chasing his first clay-court title this week.

5) Top 10 Stars Rublev, Rune & Fritz In Action: Andrey Rublev and Holger Rune have enjoyed consistent starts to the season but are still seeking their first title of the season. Rublev advanced to the final in Monte Carlo in 2021, while Rune is making his third appearance. Rublev opens against Marc-Andrea Huesler or Jaume Munar, with Rune playing Dominic Thiem or Richard Gasquet.

World No. 10 Taylor Fritz is 20-6 on the year, highlighted by his title run in Delray Beach. The American reached a career-high No. 5 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings last month and will continue his quest to rise again in the Principality. The 25-year-old reached the quarter-finals at the clay-court event last year.

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6) Sinner & Khachanov Arrive In Form: Jannik Sinner and Karen Khachanov enter the event in form. The 21-year-old Sinner backed up his semi-final run in Indian Wells by advancing to his second ATP Masters 1000 title match in Miami. The Italian, whose only clay-court title came in Umag last year, opens against Diego Schwartzman or David Goffin.

Khachanov also made waves in Miami, advancing to the semi-finals before eventual champion Medvedev stopped him. The former World No. 8 will be looking to transfer his form to the clay courts in Monaco, where he is making his sixth appearance.

7) Paul & Norrie In Race Contention: Tommy Paul and Cameron Norrie are seventh and eighth, respectively, in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin. Paul reached the semi-finals at the Australian Open and title match in Acapulco this season, while Norrie captured a clay-court title at the ATP 500 event in Rio de Janeiro. Both will be aiming for deep runs in Monte-Carlo to remain inside the Top 8 in the Race.

8) Thiem & Wawrinka Receive Wild Cards: Stan Wawrinka and Dominic Thiem possess strong clay-court pedigree, clinching a combined 16 titles on the surface. Former World No. 3 Wawrinka triumphed in Monte-Carlo in 2014, while Austrian Thiem’s best result came in 2018 when he reached the quarter-finals. They both received a wild card into the tournament.

9) First-Round Matches To Watch: Following Friday’s draw, there are several intriguing first-round matches to look out for. #NextGenATP American Ben Shelton takes on 2022 semi-finalist Grigor Dimitrov, while former World No. 1 Andy Murray plays 14th seed Alex de Minaur. The 12th seed Frances Tiafoe has a tricky opening test against 2022 Next Gen ATP Finals runner-up Jiri Lehecka.

10) Ram/Salisbury Looking To Defend Title: Defending champions Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury will aim to win their fourth ATP Masters 1000 title as a team and first trophy of the season when they take to court in the Principality. They will face stern competition from top seeds Wesley Koolhof and Neal Skupski and third seeds Marcelo Arevalo and Jean-Julien Rojer. Singles stars Stefanos Tsitsipas, Andrey Rublev, Hubert Hurkacz and Cameron Norrie are all on doubles duty.

The battle for top spot in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin between Daniil Medvedev and Novak Djokovic could significantly change based on one potential match at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters should it come to fruition.

Medvedev and Djokovic will meet in the semi-finals of the clay-court ATP Masters 1000 event if they both advance that far. If that blockbuster clash plays out, the result would drastically impact the Live Race.

Medvedev (3,030 points) enters the clay-court season with a 600-point lead over second-placed Djokovic (2,430). If the 27-year-old defeats Djokovic in the Monte-Carlo semi-finals and goes on to claim his first clay-court crown, he would take a 1,240-point advantage over his rival in the Live Race.

However, it goes both ways. If the superstars meet in the semi-finals but Djokovic emerges victorious and goes on to clinch his record-extending 39th Masters 1000 trophy, he would depart the Principality in first place in the Live Race by 40 points.

Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin (as of 7 April)

Another thing to keep in mind is that Medvedev has made clear he does not favour clay, a surface on which he has won 43.9 per cent of his tour-level matches compared to 80.3 per cent for Djokovic. Although Medvedev has lifted four trophies this season and no other player has earned more than two (Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz), the Live Race battle will be one to watch early in the clay-court season.

Djokovic is second, having earned 2,000 points with his Australian Open title at the start of the season. Monte-Carlo will be his first appearance since losing to Medvedev in the Dubai semi-finals.

The top of the Live Race is jam-packed and a lot can change over the course of a week, especially at a Masters 1000 event like the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters. Third-placed Alcaraz and ninth-placed Karen Khachanov are separated by just 695 points.

In other storylines to watch in the coming weeks, three of the Top 10 players in the Live Race are from the United States. Two of the Americans, seventh-placed Tommy Paul and 10th-placed Frances Tiafoe, are trying to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals for the first time.

Paul and Tiafoe are not the only players seeking their debut at the season finale. Of the Top 30 players in the Live Race, 20 have never competed in the Nitto ATP Finals.

Austrians Alexander Erler and Lucas Miedler are a perfect 3-0 in ATP Tour finals, with titles in Kitzbühel in 2021, Vienna in 2022 and Acapulco earlier this season. After their Friday semi-final victory at the Grand Prix Hassan II, they will bid to extend their streak in the Marrakech final.

The third seeds defeated fifth seeds Maxime Cressy and Albano Olivetti 6-2, 7-6(1) to advance to the title match at the ATP 250, surviving 11 aces from their opponents and earning the victory without facing a break point. Erler/Miedler will find out their final opponents on Saturday, when Marcelo Demoliner and Andrea Vavassori meet N.Sriram Balaji and Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan in the second semi-final.

Demoliner/Vavassori booked their semi-final spot on Friday with a 7-6(10), 6-3 win against Sander Arends and Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi.

Home Favourites Book Last Estoril SF Spot

Nuno Borges and Francisco Cabral are the only all-Portuguese pairing in the Millennium Estoril Open doubles draw, and the home favourites continue to make the most of their opportunity. In the lone doubles match played on Friday at the ATP 250, the defending champions beat Robin Haase and Philipp Oswald 6-3, 7-6(4) to advance to the last four.

Their semi-final opponents will be fourth-seeded Belgians Sander Gille and Joran Vliegen, with that match set for the Estoril stadium court on Saturday. Third seeds Gonzalo Escobar and Fabien Reboul will take on Serbians Nikola Cacic and Miomir Kecmanovic in Saturday’s second semi-final.