Jannik Sinner claimed his first major clay court title earlier today, beating Carlos Alcaraz 7-6(5) 6-4 in the Monte Carlo Masters final.
It was the 17th meeting between these two brilliant rivals, and fans were hoping for fireworks on Court Reiner III.
But the wind had other ideas.
Conditions in Monaco made life difficult for both players, and it wasn’t quite the spectacle everyone had been anticipating.
Jannik Sinner is world number one again after beating his old foe Carlos Alcaraz
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Still, the match drew plenty of attention, including from retired three-time Grand Slam champion Andy Murray, who couldn’t resist offering his expert analysis on social media as the action unfolded.
During the tightly contested opening set, Murray took to X to share his thoughts on what would separate the two players.
“Both guys struggling playing with the wind so far….you need to play with more patience and much higher margin for error when it’s like this.. the one who recognises this and adjusts quickest will win..” the former world number one wrote.
It turned out to be spot on.
The Scottish tennis legend posted his observation just before Alcaraz and Sinner headed into a first-set tiebreak, and his prediction about adaptation proving decisive would prove remarkably accurate as the match progressed.
Andy Murray offered his analysis of the final
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Sinner showed exactly the composure Murray had described, fighting back from a break down in both sets to secure victory.
In the second set, Alcaraz grabbed an early break with a stunning passing shot after a 12-shot rally, but he couldn’t hold onto his advantage.
The Spaniard attempted a dropshot that drifted wide of the tramlines, letting Sinner level at 3-3.
Then, leading 40-15 on serve, Alcaraz’s errors crept back in, and Sinner pounced to break again.
The Italian won the final five games to seal the title.
Alcaraz looked frustrated throughout, racking up 45 unforced errors during the two-hour 15-minute contest.
The victory saw Sinner reclaim the world number one ranking from his Spanish rival, moving to 13,400 points, just 160 ahead of Alcaraz.
Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner are clear of every other tennis player on the planet
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Speaking after lifting the trophy, Sinner reflected on the challenging conditions.
“It was a very strange match, because it was very windy. The conditions were not warm, which, you know, the ball is less bouncy that [makes it] a little bit easier to play tennis in general,” he said.
“But I tried. I think I was serving well in the important moments in the first set. In the tiebreak, I was very, very accurate.”
The 24-year-old Italian now heads into the clay season with serious momentum, having already won at Indian Wells and Miami this year.
