ATP Masters Monte-Carlo: Here the bear is already tap-dancing at the start of the tournament
The first two days of the ATP Masters 1000 tournament in Monte Carlo have shown not only some strong matches but also one thing: this event has been alive from day one.
by Jens Huiber
last edit:
Apr 10, 2023, 04:26 pm
By Jens Huiber from Monte Carlo
Comparisons are mostly unfair in sport, but come on, because it's time: The memories of the 1000m in Miami are still fresh. And with it the impression that, with the exception of the semifinals between Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, the atmosphere in the Hard Rock Stadium corresponded to that which one would expect in a meaningless preparatory game of a second division football club against a lower-class team on a rainy Tuesday evening.
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In Monte Carlo on the other hand? Ha! What a tennis festival. In front of full grandstands already around noon. Now you can credit the Americans with two things, at least: First of all, they didn't play on Easter weekend in Miami. However, it is doubtful that anything comparable would have driven the crowds into the stadium. More importantly, that Hard Rock Stadium is just too big. And therefore not full, especially in the early stages of the tournament. In addition, there may also be the format: If there are only eight match days available for a 1000 event, the chance of coming up with top games is significantly greater than in Miami, for example, where there are now two more days.
Full grandstands at the fixed point in the tennis calendar
The Monegasques and wherever the tennis fans came from on the first two match days celebrated Stan Wawrinka in the stands of Court Rainier III, greeted Matteo Berrettini euphorically - and didn't hold back with Andy Murray, Dominic Thiem and especially Richard Gasquet .
116 editions are counted in Monte Carlo this year, the rumors that Rafael Nadal, who was absent this time, won 115 of them are not true. But the enthusiasm of the fans despite the absence of the great champion (whose last triumph in the Principality was five years ago) shows that this tournament should remain a fixed point in the calendar forever. Even if it is the only one in the ATP Masters 1000 category that is not a compulsory event.
Here the individual tableau in Monte Carlo
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