Carlos Alcaraz has only played at the Monte-Carlo Masters once in his career, and he didn't do well, which makes this event feel like he has unfinished business.
The Spaniard has been a tremendous performer on clay so far in his career, winning more than half of his trophies on the surface. He grew up on it and feels really good on it, but that's not been the case at the Monte-Carlo Masters so far.
He has only played once so far, in 2022, when Sebastian Korda surprised him in his first match at the ATP Masters 1000 event in Monaco. That remains the only match he ever played because he missed last year's event due to an injury.
That means this year's event is a really big priority for Alcaraz. Speaking to Tennis TV before the event, the Spaniard admitted that he has unfinished business here because of his part results.
"This is a really beautiful tournament, I really want to play here and make good results. So the first time that I played here I lost in the first round, so it's kind of hurt feelings for me, so I feel like it's kind of unfinished business."
The draw was pretty interesting for Alcaraz, giving him Felix Auger-Aliassime, a player he struggled with in the past but also bested twice in a row, including once this year. It's a pretty good matchup for him, but what's concerning are his recent injury worries.
It will be fascinating to see just how motivated Alcaraz will be in this match, if he plays it, and, more generally, the event. There is nothing to suggest he couldn't do well at the event, but in the past, it didn't really work out.
To be fair, he only played once, so that's not a big sample size. He arrived in Monaco with a lot of good vibes.
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