The clay season starts now, and the draw for the 2025 Rolex Monte Carlo Masters was unveiled on Friday evening at the Monte Carlo Country Club.
Monte Carlo bucks the trend by remaining a one-week Masters 1000 and a 56-player draw. This means it’s action-packed from the start, with competitive matches as early as the first round.
While not mandatory to play, all of the top 10, barring Sinner (banned) and Fritz (injured), are partaking with Sascha Zverev and Carlos Alcaraz, the top two seeds.
Full draw and thoughts below.
Tournament Info
- Event Name: Rolex Monte Carlo Masters
- Founded: 1896
- Location: Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, Alpes-Maritimes, Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, France
- Venue: Monte Carlo Country Club, 155 Av. Princesse Grace, 06190 Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, France
- Surface: Outdoor Clay Court
- Ball: Dunlop ATP Ball
- Current Men’s Champions: Stefanos Tsitsipas
- Current Men’s Doubles Champions: Sander Gille / Joran Vliegen
- Category: ATP Masters 1000
- Draw Size: 56 Singles / 28 Qualifying / 28 Doubles
- Dates: 6-13 April 2025
- Prize Money: €6,128,940
Rolex Monte Carlo Masters 2025 Seeds
- Alexander Zverev
- Carlos Alcaraz
- Novak Djokovic
- Casper Ruud
- Jack Draper
- Stefanos Tsitsipas
- Andrey Rublev
- Alex de Minaur
- Daniil Medvedev
- Holger Rune
- Ben Shelton
- Arthur Fils
- Lorenzo Musetti
- Frances Tiafoe
- Grigor Dimitrov
- Félix Auger-Aliassime
Wild Cards
- Fabio Fognini
- Richard Gasquet
- Valentin Vacherot
- Stan Wawrinka
Withdrawals
- Taylor Fritz – replaced by Roberto Bautista Agut
- Hubert Hurkacz – replaced by Miomir Kecmanović
Qualifiers
- Daniel Altmaier
- Bu Yunchaokete
- Dušan Lajović
- Fábio Marozsan
- Corentin Moutet
- Mariano Navone
- Camilo Ugo Carabelli
2025 Rolex Monte Carlo Masters Draw
Top Half
- Alexander Zverev (1) vs Bye
- Mario Navone (Q) vs Matteo Berrettini
- Jiri Lehecka vs Sebastian Korda
- Yunchaokete Bu (Q) vs Lorenzo Musetti (13)
- Holger Rune (10) vs Nuno Borges
- Lorenzo Sonego vs Pedro Martinez
- Jordan Thompson vs Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard
- Bye vs Stefanos Tsitsipas (6)
- Novak Djokovic (3) vs Bye
- Stan Wawrinka (WC) vs Alejandro Tabilo
- Jan-Lennard Struff vs Valentin Vacherot (WC)
- Nicolas Jarry vs Grigor Dimitrov (15)
- Daniil Medvedev (9) vs Karen Khachanov
- Alexandre Muller vs Camilo Ugo Carabelli (Q)
- Tomas Machac vs Sebastian Baez
- Bye vs Alex de Minaur (8)
Bottom Half
- Jack Draper (5) vs Bye
- Marcos Giron vs Denis Shapovalov
- Tomas Martin Etcheverry vs Corentin Moutet (Q)
- Alejandro Davidovich Fokina vs Ben Shelton (11)
- Frances Tiafoe (14) vs Miomir Kecmanovic
- Alexei Popyrin vs Ugo Humbert
- Roberto Bautista Agut vs Brandon Nakashima
- Bye vs Casper Ruud (4)
- Andrey Rublev (7) vs Bye
- Gael Monfils vs Fabian Marozsan (Q)
- Dusan Lajovic (Q) vs Flavio Cobolli
- Tallon Griekspoor vs Arthur Fils (12)
- Felix Auger-Aliassime (16) vs Daniel Altmaier (Q)
- Matteo Arnaldi vs Richard Gasquet (WC)
- Fabio Fognini (WC) vs Francisco Cerundolo
- Bye vs Carlos Alcaraz (2)
Thoughts on the Draw
Top Half
Seeded Players: (1) Alexander Zverev, (3) Novak Djokovic, (6) Stefanos Tsitsipas, (8) Alex de Minaur, (9) Daniil Medvedev, (10) Holger Rune, (13) Lorenzo Musetti, (15) Grigor Dimitrov
The top half of the draw features top seed Alexander Zverev, third seed Novak Djokovic, and sixth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas.
They are joined by the likes of Alex de Minaur (8), Daniil Medvedev (9), Holger Rune (10), Lorenzo Musetti (13), and Grigor Dimitrov (15).
Zverev will be keen to shake off a dismal Sunshine Double with early exits in Indian Wells and Miami, but Monte Carlo is the one Masters 1000 on clay that eludes him. His best are two previous semi-final appearances.
The Germans’ path is anything but easy, either. He opens against Matteo Berrettini before a potential third-round clash with Musetti, Korda, or the dangerous Lehecka.
If Zverev survives, a quarter-final showdown with either Rune or three-time Monte-Carlo champion Tsitsipas likely awaits.
On the bottom side of this half, Novak Djokovic begins his clay campaign against either Stan Wawrinka or lefty Alejandro Tabilo.
The Serb had a good tournament in Miami, but then played a poor final, so it will be interesting to see how he starts on the clay. Stan and Tabilo are both manageable but then Jarry or Dimitrov and a quarter-final against de Minaur, Medvedev, or Tomas Machac could pose a sterner challenge.
Djokovic has two titles in the Principality (2013, 2015), but his recent form on clay outside Roland Garros has been less dominant than his hard-court mastery so I am not expecting a deep run from him.
Then there’s Stefanos Tsitsipas, a three-time champion (2021-22, 2024), who thrives on these courts regardless of form, so he is likely to be a factor.
A second-round tie with Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard could be interesting, but I like the Greek’s chances of making the semi-finals, as his serve and forehand seem to click here.
Bottom Half
Seeded Players: (2) Carlos Alcaraz, (4) Casper Ruud, (5) Jack Draper, (7) Andrey Rublev, (11) Ben Shelton, (12) Arthur Fils, (14) Frances Tiafoe, (16) Felix Auger-Aliassime
In the bottom half, second seed Carlos Alcaraz, fourth seed Casper Ruud, and seventh seed Andrey Rublev headline. With Jack Draper (5), Ben Shelton (11), Arthur Fils (12), Frances Tiafoe (14), and Felix Auger-Aliassime (16).
Casper Ruud hasn’t lived up to his form from a few years ago, but clay is his preferred surface, and it’s probably make-or-break for his ranking this season. He starts against either Brandon Nakashima or the seasoned Roberto Bautista-Agut, a matchup he should handle before a potential third-round clash with Tiafoe.
The quarter-finals could pit Ruud against Draper, Shelton, or the dangerous Davidovich Fokina, who has had flashes of brilliance on clay in recent years.
Notably, Shelton skipped the Houston Clay Court Championships, so he’s one of the few Americans not making a last-minute dash across the Atlantic. Tiafoe and Nakashima are both still playing in Texas, so he comes in freshest.
In the bottom quarter, Carlos Alcaraz enters as a favourite but faces a tricky path. The Spaniard opens against either 2019 Monte-Carlo champion Fabio Fognini or Francisco Cerundolo, a rematch of their 2024 Buenos Aires clash if it’s the latter.
A third-round meeting with Auger-Aliassime or the retiring Richard Gasquet awaits, but the real test comes in the quarter-finals, where Alcaraz could face 2023 Monte-Carlo champion Andrey Rublev.
Rublev comes in without any real form, but he’s now got Marat Safin in his corner, and we know he can play well, so I’d like to see those two face off. Arthur Fils is a potential hurdle for him, and I’m interested to see how the Frenchman plays on clay this year, as his heavy, spin forehand looked dangerous in Indian Wells.
Who is your 2025 Monte Carlo Champion?