The first week of the clay court season is in the books with a familiar champion being crowned in Monte-Carlo and the action heats up again on both Tours with multiple tournaments on the schedule this week as the countdown to Roland-Garros begins.
At the Masters 1000 event in Monte-Carlo, Stefanos Tsitsipas was crowned champion for a third time in four years thanks to a convincing triumph over two-time French Open finalist Casper Ruud. The Greek finds himself back inside the Top on the ATP rankings and has quickly discovered his form on his favourite surface.
Meanwhile, the Billie Jean King Cup Qualifiers were held at various venues with 8 teams earning their spot in the Finals in Seville later this year alongside Canada (2023 champions), Italy (2023 finalists), Spain (host nation), and Czechia (wild card recipients). It was a star-studded week with the likes of Iga Swiatek (Poland), Naomi Osaka (Japan), Jessica Pegula (USA), and Emma Raducanu (Great Britain) all leading their squads to victory.
A Deep Field in Stuttgart
As always, the draw for the popular WTA 500 tournament in Stuttgart, Germany is packed with top players including Swiatek, Aryna Sabalenka, Coco Gauff, and Elena Rybakina. There are also smaller events being held in Rouen, France and Oeiras, Portugal.
On the ATP side of things, Rafael Nadal makes his much-anticipated return on home soil in Barcelona and will face Italy’s Flavio Cabolli with the winner slated to meet Alex de Minaur in round two.
In addition, Alexander Zverev and Holger Rune are the top seeds in Munich while Francisco Cerundolo and Tallon Griekspoor lead the way in Bucharest.
The Stars Were Out in Monte-Carlo
It’s no secret that Monaco is a celebrity hot spot and they were out in full force during the Monte-Carlo Masters. Zendaya and the cast of the upcoming tennis-themed film Challengers made an appearance as did Formula 1 drivers George Russell and Charles Leclerc, who assisted with Sunday’s trophy ceremony.
