Novak Djokovic shakes off rust at Monte Carlo Masters, Alexander Zverev digs in, Brits bow out

The first ATP Masters 1000 tournament of the European clay swing is well under way in Monte Carlo with Novak Djokovic leading the field.

The world No.1 got his title bid up with a straight-sets win as he aims to build fitness and steal a march on the absent Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz ahead of the clay-court finale at the French Open in May.

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Paul Hassall went along to take in Tuesday’s action in the sun-drenched principality and picked out some high points (and low ones) from what transpired.

Can Zverev find his mojo in time for French Open?

It says much about Alexander Zverev’s battle to find form following the long-term injury which prematurely curtailed his 2022 season, that a player with his clay-court pedigree didn’t feature in the top five of our clay power rankings

The 25-year-old’s CV boasts three Masters 1000 titles on the red dirt – two in Madrid and one in Rome – and he is a two-time semi-finalist in Monte Carlo.

The German has also reached the last four at the past two editions of Roland-Garros and even looked capable of conjuring up the near impossible task of upsetting eventual champion Nadal last year until a nasty fall meant he left the court in a wheelchair after tearing several ligaments in his ankle

So there’s no denying his calibre on the surface, and if he can enjoy a positive clay-court swing it could well pave the way for both a rise back up towards the very top of the rankings and an outside push for a maiden Grand Slam triumph in Paris.

Of course, that seems a big call at this moment in time. Heading into the tournament in Monte Carlo he had lost eight of his 15 matches so far this year with the positives of a semi-final run in Dubai slightly dampened by a lacklustre end to the Sunshine Double in the USA when he was bagelled by Taro Daniel in a disappointing second-round exit in Miami.

Things also seemed bleak here as he dropped the opening set of his round two clash against the enigmatic Alexander Bublik before fighting back to edge a tight deciding set and nudge into round three with a 3-6 6-2 6-4 victory.

Roberto Bautista Agut is next up and it won’t get any easier beyond that with the likes of Djokovic, Jannik Sinner and Holger Rune on Zverev’s side of the draw.

A few signs of rust but Djokovic remains the player to beat

Can Djokovic become the first man to win all four majors at least three times when he descends on Roland-Garros next month?

For many he is the clear favourite to add to his 2016 and 2021 crowns, and his 16-1 record for the year following his 7-6 6-2 victory over qualifier Ivan Gakhov backs up that belief, even if there were elements of rust here.

It could well come down to fitness. Not just in terms of the world No. 1 and how much match sharpness he builds following a month-long absence from tour as a result of his vaccine status, but also the status of rising superstar Alcaraz, and quite possibly the biggest obstacle in his way, 14-time French Open winner Nadal. Both are missing from Monte Carlo due to injury.

It would be foolish to suggest Nadal won’t find fitness in time for his favourite major given his history on Court Philippe-Chatrier, but if there are any glimmers of vulnerability from the 36-year-old, Djokovic will be eager to pounce.

The Serb has struggled in Monte Carlo in the last two years, exiting in the third and second rounds respectively, but he talked up his hopes heading into the tournament and after overcoming a plucky underdog and the swirling wind, no one will be surprised come Sunday evening if he’s ironed out the creases in his game and is picking up his first title here since 2015 – and his third overall.

Djokovic reacts to ‘ugly tennis win’ over Gakhov at Monte Carlo Masters

THE LAST BRITS IN THE DRAW FALL

It’s fair to say Dan Evans hasn’t enjoyed great success on clay throughout what has been a turbulent career, but two years ago Monte Carlo was the scene of one of his finest moments.

The British No. 2 vanquished top seed Djokovic en route to the semi-finals where he lost to eventual champion Stefanos Tsitsipas.

It’s proved to be something of a false dawn, however, as wildcard David Goffin handed him an early round two exit in 2022 and qualifier Ilya Ivashka sent him packing early this year despite Evans taking the opening set 6-2 on Court 2.

Jack Draper lost in Monte Carlo along with Dan Evans

Image credit: Getty Images

The Russian world No. 74 found an extra gear from out of nowhere and his powerhouse hitting proved too much as he stormed back to prevail 2-6 6-2 6-3.

It was a similar tale over on Court des Princes. Jack Draper couldn’t back up his solid 6-3 7-5 win over Sebastian Baez as No. 10 seed Hubert Hurkacz survived a strong response from the British No. 4 to edge through 6-3 6-7(3) 7-5.

It means all four Brits in the main singles draw have bowed out early with plenty of work to be done if any of them are to make any sort of significant mark on this year’s clay swing.

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