3 Key takeaways from Carlos Alcaraz's Monte-Carlo Masters 2025 victory
Second seed Carlos Alcaraz of Spain beat 13th seed Lorenzo Musetti of Italy 3-6 6-1 6-0 in the final of the Monte-Carlo Masters 2025. It was the Spaniard’s sixth Masters 1000 title and his third on clay.
Alcaraz has achieved the above before attaining the age of 22. The sky is the limit for the young man, who continues to go from strength to strength. In this article, we will take a look at three takeaways from the Spaniard's title triumph in Monte Carlo. Let us get on with the list.
#3 Carlos Alcaraz has one of the best drop shots in the business
It was known to us even before the tournament, but Alcaraz demonstrated his ability to play the drop shot extensively in it. The Spaniard is a fine baseliner in his own right but likes to take his opponent by surprise by playing the drop shot off either wing, both crosscourt and down-the-line.
Musetti, Alcaraz's opponent in the final, is also a good exponent of the shot. However, Alcaraz does it more often and more precisely. Even the likes of Daniil Medvedev have developed the shot to improve their game on clay of late, but Alcaraz's touch is something else.
#2 Alcaraz continues to defend the width of the baseline really well
The Spaniard is one of the best movers on the court and has an exceptional defense. In fact, since Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal, hardly any player has had a defense as good as Alcaraz's in the game.
As a result, it is very difficult to hit through Alcaraz on clay. Someone like Jannik Sinner can consistently do that on faster hard courts, but not so easily on clay. The Spaniard's ability to stretch and slide helped him significantly to win the title in Monte Carlo.
#1 The clay-crown now belongs to Alcaraz
Nadal’s retirement has created a huge void in the game. He dominated clay-court tennis like never before, winning more than 60 titles on the surface. With Nadal retiring and Djokovic's game declining during the past year, it is now time for Alcaraz to dominate the game on clay.
He won the French Open title last year and will be the favorite to defend it this year. He has already won titles in Monte Carlo, Madrid, Barcelona, and Roland-Garros, which means that only the one in Rome has eluded him so far among the major tournaments on clay. It remains to be seen whether he can add that title to his collection this year.