Top seeds begin Monte-Carlo tournament as Rafa Nadal gives Swiatek some tips – tennis news round-up
Tuesday saw the top men’s seeds enter the Monte-Carlo Masters and here’s all the news you may have missed from the day.
Fans in the Monaco-adjacent stadium were treated to the sight of both Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner as they kicked off their clay season.
Alcaraz and Sinner make easy progress in Monte-Carlo
The top players expected to reach the final made light work of their opening matches with Sinner producing the tournament’s first bagel.
He defeated World No 34 Ugo Humbert and despite the Frenchman putting up a fight to begin with, Sinner soon took control of the match.
Later, Alcaraz survived a second-set scare to beat Sebastian Baez.
Alcaraz admits losing No 1 spot is a matter of time
Considering his success at these tournaments last year, Alcaraz has a lot to lose and not a lot to gain in terms of points with Sinner closing in.
After his second-round victory in Monte-Carlo, Alcaraz admitted he knew it was a matter of time before Sinner was back at No 1.
Read what the current No 1 had to say here
Swiatek learning trademark Nadal move
Over in the WTA, Iga Swiatek’s new partnership with Francisco Roig continued as footage emerged of Rafa Nadal teaching the former No 1 how to produce his signature forehand.
The Polish player has previously spoken of how Nadal was the “biggest inspiration” for her.
Alcaraz and Sinner told not to focus on No 1 spot
While a lot of the focus of late has been on which man will leave Monte-Carlo as No 1, one former pro has told the pair for them to ignore the “frenzy” surrounding it.
Paolo Bertolucci told La Gazzetta dello Sport that focusing on rankings was the wrong approach.
“The world number one ranking is simply a consequence of results. I don’t think it’s that important. What really matters is finishing the year at the top of the ATP rankings, because there are also bonuses linked to sponsorships.
“No one can be number one all season, and I think all this frenzy around the rankings is unfounded.”
You can read more on that story here.
Tsitsipas told to do ‘some serious soul-searching’
Stefanos Tsitsipas has been told he needs to do “some serious soul-searching” after his opening round exit at the 2026 Monte Carlo Masters.
The Greek lost 7-5, 6-4 to world No 19 Francisco Cerundolo as he dropped down to 64th in the Live ATP Rankings.
Alex Eala reveals impact of Toni Nadal coaching
As a graduate of the Rafa Nadal Academy, a lot of attention is being paid to 20-year-old Alex Eala who began her clay court season on Tuesday.
In preparation, she spent time in Mallorca where she received the tutelage of Toni Nadal and she spoke of that privilege.
“It’s fantastic, and I feel truly privileged to have Toni as part of my team,” she said. “If you had told me this years ago, I would have completely lost my mind; I wouldn’t have believed you.
“It’s fantastic: he has that knowledge and is able to help my team immensely, bringing all the necessary experience.”
Grigor Dimitrov down to low ranking after Monte-Carlo defeat
Another upset in Monte-Carlo saw Grigor Dimitrov lose to world No 30 Tomas Martin Etcheverry which condemned the former World No 3 to his lowest ranking in over 15 years,
You can read more on his fall here.
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