Carlos Alcaraz Opens Up About His Shaky Start in Monte Carlo and the Crucial Change That Made All the Difference “Well, I didn’t…

Carlos Alcaraz overcame a rocky start in his opening clay court match of the season to defeat Francisco Cerundolo convincingly at the 2025 Monte Carlo Masters.

The four-time major champion defeated Cerundolo 3-6, 6-0, 6-1 on Court Rainier III in the second round of the Masters 1000 tournament.

Despite facing a break point in the first game of the second set, Alcaraz only dropped one game and defeated the world’s number 22.

“Well, I didn’t start well,” the Spaniard admitted in his on-court interview. “I just wanted to get the good pace at the beginning of the match, but I think I made a lot of mistakes.

“I think I let him play inside the court, dominate the points, so I was more in the defensive part.

“So after the first set, I just knew that I had to do something else. I had to play more aggressively, I had to play my own tennis. I just enjoy that tennis, you know, drop shots, going to the net, playing more aggressive. I think I did it pretty well.

“I think the first and the most important adjustment was the return. I just tried to return more close to the line, just pushing him to defence [on] the first ball, and after that, playing good shots and dominate the game. I think I did it pretty well.”

After his victory, Alcaraz expressed his appreciation for this period of the tennis season as he wrote “I missed clay” on the camera lens.

Asked where he ranks clay on his list of favourite surfaces, Alcaraz said: “I don’t know. I always say that, until now, I always put it (clay) second, I prefer to play on hard-court.

“Right now, I don’t know, I’m gonna put it first. I just missed the clay season, yeah, since the Olympic Games that I haven’t played on clay.

“And I think I love this part of the year, I love watching the matches here on clay, I grew up playing on this surface. So I’m gonna put it [number] 1, first (smiles).”