Atp media

Only Rafael Nadal: Top seed Carlos Alcaraz is excited for the start of his clay-court season at the Monte-Carlo Masters and said, "To be in Monaco as the defending champion is something that he is not thinking about."

Alcaraz, who is set to compete in Monte-Carlo for the third time, is the defending champion at the first clay-court ATP Masters 1000 event of the season. In 2025, he began his clay-court season off the back of two consecutive defeats, to Jack Draper at Indian Wells and David Goffin in Miami. But from his arrival in the Principality, he won 33 of his next 34 matches.

"I’m just really, really happy to be back here in Monte-Carlo, the first tournament of the clay season, at least for me, which is great,” Alcaraz told ATP Media on Thursday. “I just missed it so much to be honest. I’m going to try to enjoy as much as I can this beautiful surface, this beautiful tournament. It’s great."