Road to Roland Garros, presented by ZipRecruiter: The clay swing, and Djokovic’s 2022 campaign, both begin in earnest in Monte Carlo

The bird’s-eye view of center court at the Monte Carlo Country Club, which we’ll see dozens of times on our TV sets over the next week, may be the finest in tennis. Or at least the most hopeful. It’s the sport’s annual sign that spring has returned, and with it the most intense two months of the season, the European clay-court swing.

Normally, the return to the Principality also means that Rafael Nadal will be returning to top form. This year, though, the tournament feels more like a baton hand-off, from Nadal to his fellow Big 3 member Novak Djokovic. After dominating the first three months of the season, Rafa, an 11-time champion in Monaco, will be absent due to a rib injury. At the same time, Djokovic, after missing virtually all of 2022 so far, will start his quest for a third French Open title.

Let’s see what this city by the sea, which Djokovic has called home for many years, has in store for him, and for us.

Djokovic will start against Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, but could meet Carlos Alcaraz in the quarterfinals.

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First Quarter

Djokovic is a two-time champion and four-time finalist in Monte Carlo, but he hasn’t made it that far since 2015. It can take him a tournament or two to find his clay-court form; last year Djokovic went out to Daniel Evans in the third round here, before eventually winning at Roland Garros. Which means, if he loses early again, there’s no reason to panic. It’s just that Djokovic usually enters the clay swing with a lot more match play under his belt, and an Australian Open title in his back pocket. He may feel a little more urgency to get his season in gear this time around.

He’ll start against Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, and the first seed he could face is Roberto Bautista Agut, who often gives him trouble. But the big name in Djokovic’s quarter is a new one: Carlos Alcaraz. The 18-year-old Spaniard hasn’t played in Monte Carlo yet, but after Nadal and Djokovic, he may already be the third favorite to win at Roland Garros this year. A Djokovic-Alcaraz quarterfinal would be an early clay blockbuster. Considering they’ve never played before, it would also be a tough one to call.

First-round match to watch: Jo-Wilfried Tsonga vs. Marin Cilic. Tsonga says he’ll retire at Roland Garros, which means this will be his last trip through Monaco. He’ll get a hero’s send-off from his fellow French.

Semifinalist: Alcaraz

After reaching his first Masters 1000 final in Miami, can Ruud continue the momentum on his favored clay courts?

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Second Quarter

The star power takes a bit of a dip in this section, where Casper Ruud, Cameron Norrie, Hubert Hurkacz, and Nikoloz Basilashvili are the four seeds. Still, Ruud does present an interesting question. The 23-year-old just reached his first Masters 1000 final in Miami; is he ready to transfer that confidence and momentum back to his favorite surface this spring? If so, he’ll be a dark horse contender at every event he enters, including Roland Garros.

The same question can be asked of Norrie: The Brit has made his name on hard courts over the last six months, but he also has two titles on dirt. What role will he play during the clay season?

First-round match to watch: Hubert Hurkacz vs. Gael Monfils

Semifinalist: Ruud

Last year's champion Tsitsipas is also defending runner-up points at Roland Garros.

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Third Quarter

What’s going on with Stefanos Tsitsipas and Felix Auger-Aliassime? Each got off to a strong start in Australia, but each struggled mightily in Indian Wells and Miami, where Alcaraz made them look, at least temporarily, like yesterday’s news. The Greek and the Canadian will feel some pressure to right the ship on a new surface.

That goes double for Tsitsipas, who won this tournament last year and is defending a massive chunk of points in the coming weeks. The first seed that Tsitsipas could face is Lorenzo Sonego; the first that Auger Aliassime could face is Diego Schwartzman.

Semifinalist: Tsitsipas

Rublev just finished an excellent run of play on hard courts, but he’ll need to shift to clay quickly in Monte Carlo.

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Fourth Quarter

Like Tsitsipas and Auger Aliassime, Alexander Zverev and Andrey Rublev could use a win, or more. Zverev, despite his gaudy No. 3 ranking, has yet to build any momentum this season. Rublev just finished an excellent run of play on hard courts, but he’ll need to shift to clay quickly, because he’s defending runner-up points this week. The Russian could face Jannik Sinner in his second match.

First-round matches to watch:

Jannik Sinner vs. Borna Coric, who is coming back after shoulder surgery
Alexander Bublik vs. 37-year-old Stan Wawrinka, who won this tournament in 2014, and who will play his first ATP match in 13 months.

Semifinalist: Rublev

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