Carlos Alcaraz defeated Lorenzo Musetti to win a second title of the year at the Monte Carlo Masters.
Alcaraz came through some tricky matches at the tournament to emerge victorious. Arthur Fils came agonisingly close to knocking the four-time Grand Slam winner out in the quarter-finals but fluffed his lines at the crucial moment.
As for Musetti, he was largely brilliant in Monte Carlo. He overcame Matteo Berrettini, Jiri Lehecka, defending champion Stefanos Tsitsipas and Alex de Minaur, before running into Alcaraz.
The final was going so well for Musetti too. He took the first set 6-3 but once again his physical limitations came to light once again and he was well beaten 6-1, 6-0 in the next two sets.
Alcaraz looks to be hitting form at just the right time ahead of the French Open, which gets underway at Roland Garros in May. However, despite his win, there is someone who has thrown a bit of a dampener on the success in the aftermath of his victory.
Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty ImagesPaul Annacone shares what worries him after Carlos Alcaraz
The man with two Wimbledon crowns to his name is gearing up for a big 2025. Although it’s been a slow start, it was on the clay last season where the Spanish sensation transformed his year and won both of the summer Grand Slams.
Alcaraz is a born winner and at 21-years-old, it’s quite scary to think what he might be able to win during his time on the professional circuit, provided he stays fit and healthy with the hunger in his gut.
Annacone does have a worry about Alcaraz, however. He’s thrown a bit of a downer on the Monte Carlo Masters victory, speaking live on The Tennis Channel Live Podcast.
Roger Federer’s former coach said: “It is so interesting. We keep watching Carlos Alcaraz play and we know what his ceiling is. Basically it doesn’t exist, because he can play so well.
“The thing that concerns me really is that the floor is not rising as much as we think it can. Today he did such a great job at the end of the match, because at the beginning, for his level, he played bad tennis and a lot of unforced errors. He overplayed. Broke the first game, but after that he was spraying them around and Musetti did a great job being self-aware. He played offensive when he needed to but when he didn’t, he played solid tennis, but himself in places where Carlos could not hurt him and Carlos made the errors, so really great job from Musetti in the first set.
“I think what keeps Alcaraz ticking is his eternal optimism. He always seems to have fun, even if he’s not playing great.
“He is vulnerable. He knows how to win when he plays average. I just wonder if that is too often and at the end of the day is that going to make him a bit more vulnerable?
“And guess what? We have talked about this for a long time. Maybe he is not going to be Jannik Sinner. Maybe he is not going to be like Novak, whose highs and lows are so narrow; maybe he is going to be more volatile.”
What Andy Roddick has said about Carlos Alcaraz
The man who reached three Wimbledon finals and won a US Open prize is a media stalwart when it comes to tennis these days and he simply loves the game.
He provided a response when asked about Alcaraz in the aftermath of Annacone making the comments that perhaps he’s concerned about something that the Spaniard isn’t quite as strong at.
Roddick said: “I will say real quick that he is still 21. As we are talking about the gap, we have to kind of be eyes wide open.
“I don’t know that Roger had trimmed that gap when he was 21. Novak certainly hadn’t. I don’t think Sinner had, even though he is only two or three years older, so he has time. It’s not as if it’s set in place.
“But I think people feel like they might have a chance just based on the peaks and valleys but there is a lot of time for Carlos to figure that out still.”
Alcaraz now turns his attention to the Barcelona Open, where he will meet American youngster Ethan Quinn at a tournament where he will naturally be heavily backed by the local crowd.