Novak Djokovic shakes off rust at Monte Carlo Masters, Alexander Zverev digs in, Brits bow out

The first ATP Masters 1000 tournament of the European clay swing is well under way in Monte Carlo with Novak Djokovic leading the field. The world No.1 got his title bid up with a straight-sets win as he aims to build fitness and steal a march on the absent Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz ahead of the clay-court finale at the French Open in May.

Ad There was also a hard-fought win for Alexander Zverev while British interest in the tournament came to an end. ATP Monte CarloDjokovic cheered on by George Russell in Monte Carlo win over Gakhov6 HOURS AGO We took in some of Tuesday’s action in the sun-drenched principality and picked out some high points (and low ones) from what transpired.

Can Zverev find his mojo in time for French Open? It says much about Alexander Zverev’s battle to find form following the long-term injury which prematurely curtailed his 2022 season, that a player with his clay-court pedigree didn’t feature in the top five of our clay power rankings. The 25-year-old’s CV boasts three Masters 1000 titles on the red dirt — two in Madrid and one in Rome — and he is a two-time semi-finalist in Monte Carlo.

The German has also reached the last four at the past two editions of Roland-Garros and even looked capable of conjuring up the near impossible task of upsetting eventual champion Nadal last year until a nasty fall meant he left the court in a wheelchair after tearing several ligaments in his ankle. So there’s no denying his calibre on the surface, and if he can enjoy a positive clay-court swing it could well pave the way for both a rise back up towards the very top of the rankings and an outside push for a maiden Grand Slam triumph in Paris.

Of course, that seems a big call at this moment in time. Heading