Novak Djokovic missed out on winning the Miami Open after losing to Jakub Mensik in the final. His latest defeat has raised questions about his age, so he’ll play with a chip on his shoulder at the upcoming Monte-Carlo Masters.
After his exploits in South Beach, Mensik hit a new personal milestone, and he’ll aim to keep it going in the clay courts in France. However, the Monte-Carlo Masters 2025 odds are stacked against the 19-year-old Czech international to make a deep run in the ATP Masters 1000 event.
Meanwhile, Stefanos Tsitsipas returns to France as a three-time Monte-Carlo Masters champion. He has won three of their last four editions of this tournament, including back-to-back triumphs in 2021 and 2022.
SBOTOP is always here to bring you the fun tennis action from hard to clay courts. Continue reading below to learn more about the latest Monte-Carlo Masters 2025 updates.
Djokovic continues to chase elusive 100th title
Novak Djokovic bounced back in the Miami Open after an early exit in the Indian Wells Masters but eventually lost in the final. It was a hard-fought match against Jakub Mensik, his former mentee, as the result was 7-6 (4), 7-6 (4).
What many didn’t see from Djokovic was the physical struggle he experienced entering the final. The 37-year-old had a dramatically swollen right eye, and he repeatedly tried to treat the infection with eye drops. The eye drops helped, but it wasn’t entirely surprising Djokovic looked off early in the match since the Serbian international dropped his opening game and trailed by a break for much of the first set.
To his credit, Djokovic went toe-to-toe against his much younger counterpart who could seemingly do no wrong in the final. Djokovic had to accept his fate that he may have to wait even longer for his 100th title, as Mensik closed him out in the second set.
Djokovic will turn 38 this May, and history suggests he is already slowing down. His fellow Big 3 members Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal won their last Grand Slams at 36, while Serena Williams won her final major at 35. However, Djokovic sees this as a challenge to himself as he tries to hold his own at the top of the sport for as long as he can.
Mensik makes massive jump
After winning his first tour-level title in the Miami Open, Jakub Mensik was the biggest mover in the updated ATP rankings. He entered South Beach as the No. 54 seed but gained 30 spots after the tournament.
Mensik’s breakthrough run in the Miami Open saw him defeat three Top 8 players (like Alex Eala on the WTA side). He beat Indian Wells Masters winner Jack Draper in the Round of 64 and Taylor Fritz in the semi-finals before Djokovic in the final round.
What makes Mensik’s Miami Open run crazy is that he almost pulled out of the tournament due to a knee injury. Before beating Roberto Bautista Agut in the opener, the 19-year-old was on his way to the referee’s room to announce his withdrawal but found that the official took a lunch break, so he went to the medical room instead. The physios worked on his knee, and the rest is history.
“I was visiting the referee’s office to say: ‘Guys, I’m pulling out,’ but he was having lunch. So OK, let’s visit the physio first. I said: ‘Hey, my knee is hurting. Just fill the paper. I’m going.’ After a few minutes, I started to feel a little relief. I took different painkillers, which helped a little bit. I was like, ‘It’s 30 minutes before the match. I can walk. I can run. Let’s see.’” Mensik narrated.
Tsitsipas aim for title No. 4
Stefanos Tsitsipas aims to become the first ATP player to win four Monte-Carlo Masters titles since Rafael Nadal. However, his form has been up and down heading into this tournament.
After an early exit in the Australian Open, Tsitsipas reached the Rotterdam Open quarter-finals, lost in the Qatar Open Round of 32, and won the Dubai Tennis Championships. The 26-year-old Greek international lost to Holger Rune in the Indian Wells Masters Round of 16 and to Sebastian Korda in the Miami Open Round of 32.
Despite being the defending champion, Tsitsipas faces an uphill climb in France. Besides Novak Djokovic, Tsitsipas will also have to deal with Alexander Zverev, Carlos Alcaraz, Taylor Fritz, Casper Ruud, Jack Draper, Andrey Rublev, Alex de Minaur, Daniil Medvedev, and Holger Rune, among others.
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