Tennis returns to clay for the first of three ATP Masters 1000 events of the clay season as world No 1 Carlos Alcaraz, red-hot Jannik Sinner and British No 1 Cameron Norrie head the field at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters, shown live on Sky Sports Tennis. Seven of the ATP top 10 are entered; notable absentees include Novak Djokovic, Taylor Fritz, Ben Shelton and Jack Draper (who withdrew).
Defending champion Alcaraz, who beat Lorenzo Musetti 3-6 6-1 6-0 in last year’s final, will meet a Sinner fresh from the Sunshine Double in Indian Wells and Miami, where the Italian won both titles without dropping a set. Sinner’s surge has tightened the rankings gap: Alcaraz still leads by 1,190 points, but must defend around 4,300 clay-swing points over the coming weeks, while Sinner has roughly 1,950 to defend and effectively no points to protect until Rome in May.
Former champion Marion Bartoli has praised Sinner’s support team — led by Darren Cahill and Simone Vagnozzi, with fitness coach Umberto Ferrara and physiotherapist Alejandro Resnicoff — saying his trust in his team and constant drive to improve make him an outstanding and deserving champion.
Cameron Norrie is the lone Brit left in the singles after Draper’s withdrawal. Norrie reclaimed British No 1 after a run to the Indian Wells quarter-finals and arrives in good clay form, having reached the fourth round at Roland Garros, the semis in Geneva and winning the 2023 Rio Open.
The Monte-Carlo Country Club at Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, opened in 1928, remains one of the tour’s most picturesque venues and a classic clay setting for the clay-court swing.
How the draw unfolds
A 56-player singles draw will be contested, with the top eight seeds receiving byes into the second round. The tournament runs Sunday 5 April to Sunday 12 April, with daily play from 10am UK time. First-round matches begin Monday 6 April; second round starts Tuesday 7 April. Quarter-finals are scheduled for Friday 10 April, semi-finals on Saturday 11 April, and both singles and doubles finals on Sunday 12 April.
Highlights and video
Sky Sports Tennis will offer match coverage, highlights and video features, including clips from Sinner’s Miami final and Alcaraz’s 2025 Monte-Carlo final against Musetti. Fans can watch ATP and WTA Tour action live on Sky Sports or stream via NOW and the Sky Sports app.