5 Players who have won 3 or more Monte-Carlo Masters titles ft. Rafael Nadal and Stefanos Tsitsipas
The Monte-Carlo Masters is one of the three Masters 1000 tournaments played on clay. It is also one of the most prestigious tournaments on the surface and boasts a very picturesque venue.
There have been a number of players over the years, who have won multiple titles in Monte Carlo. In this article, we will take a look at five players, who have won three or more Monte-Carlo Masters titles:
#5. Stefanos Tsitsipas - 3 titles:
Tsitsipas won his third title in Monte Carlo last Sunday, beating Casper Ruud in straight sets in the final. He had earlier won back-to-back titles there in 2021 and 2022, beating Andrey Rublev and Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the finals, respectively.
Tsitsipas' one-handed backhand is less of a weakness on the slow surface of Monte Carlo. It also gives him more time to set up his forehand nicely and then dominate proceedings with his powerful forehand. Tsitsipas is only 25 and can definitely add to his tally of titles there.
#4. Ilie Nastase - 3 titles:
Nastase was a top player on the Tour in the 1970s and clay was his favourite surface. The Romanian reached four consecutive finals in Monte Carlo from 1971 to 1974. He also won the title on the first three occasions, beating Tom Okker, Frantisek Pala and Bjorn Borg in the finals, respectively.
His emphatic win over Borg in straight sets in the 1973 final was one of the most memorable wins of his career.
#3. Bjorn Borg - 3 titles:
Borg took the tennis world by storm with his exploits in the 1970s. He was the best player of that decade and won 11 Grand Slams in his short career. He was almost unbeatable on clay in his prime and won three titles in Monte Carlo among others.
The Swede won the title there in 1977, 1979, and 1980, beating Corrado Borazzutti, Vitas Gerulaitis and Guillermo Vilas in the finals, respectively. Had he not retired at a very young age, Borg should have been able to further add to his tally.
#2. Thomas Muster - 3 titles:
Muster was probably the most consistent clay-court player in the 1990s. He liked to dominate proceedings from the baseline with his powerful groundstrokes. He also won the title at Monte Carlo thrice in his career.
He thrashed Aaron Krickstein in the 1992 final. However, he had to grind out victories in a couple of five-setters against Boris Becker and Alberto Costa in the 1995 and 1996 finals. Muster was also known for his fighting spirit that came to the fore in those five-setters.
#1. Rafael Nadal - 11 titles:
In yet another parameter with regard to clay-court tennis, Nadal stands head and shoulders above everyone else. Nadal won 11 titles in Monte Carlo and he also had a 46-match winning streak spanning from 2005 to 2013.
Nadal beat his arch-rival Novak Djokovic in a couple of those finals. However, Djokovic pulled one back by beating the Spaniard in the 2013 final, thereby halting his run. Nadal won his last title there in 2018. It will be very difficult for anyone to even come close to Nadal's tally.