Sinner’s Monte‑Carlo week
Jannik Sinner won the Monte‑Carlo final and moved to world No. 1, a result that dominated the tournament’s headlines, while the event also produced a startling scoreline—Daniil Medvedev lost 6‑0, 6‑0 to Matteo Berrettini in a match many noted as a career low for Medvedev ( ). The tournament was also a celebrity draw, with F1 drivers and Monaco VIPs spotted courtside for Sinner’s run ( ).
Jannik Sinner left Monte Carlo with the trophy and the top ranking, beating Carlos Alcaraz 7-6 (5), 6-3 in the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters final on Sunday, April 12. (atptour.com) The ATP said the title was Sinner’s first clay-court ATP Masters 1000 crown and his third Masters 1000 title of 2026. The rankings update on Monday, April 13, moved the 24-year-old Italian back to world No. 1 for the first time since the week of November 3, 2025. (atptour.com; atptour.com) The final turned on pressure points more than clean shotmaking. ATP Tour match coverage said Sinner won the first-set tiebreak, then took the last five games after Alcaraz led 3-1 in the second set. (atptour.com) Monte Carlo carried extra weight because Alcaraz arrived as the top seed and defending champion, with the No. 1 ranking also at stake. ATP Tour said Sinner became the second man after Novak Djokovic in 2015 to win the season’s first three ATP Masters 1000 events. (atptour.com; atptour.com) The week’s other headline came three rounds earlier, when Matteo Berrettini beat Daniil Medvedev 6-0, 6-0 in 49 minutes on Wednesday, April 8. ATP Tour said Medvedev, then ranked No. 10, did not earn a single game point on serve and lost a tour-level match without winning a game for the first time. (atptour.com; atptour.com) Berrettini called it “one of the best performances” of his career, and ATP Tour said it was his first tour-level 6-0, 6-0 win and his first Top 10 victory since Monte Carlo in 2025. The same report said Medvedev finished with 27 unforced errors in his first clay match of the season. (atptour.com) The tournament also looked like a Monaco social calendar fixture as much as a tennis event. ATP Tour and Monaco Tribune both reported that Formula 1 drivers George Russell and Charles Leclerc were in the stands for Sinner’s run, with Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene attending the final. (atptour.com; monaco-tribune.com) Monaco Tribune said Russell sat in Sinner’s box during the quarterfinals and returned for the final with Leclerc, while the week’s guest list also included Usain Bolt, Oscar Piastri, Ollie Bearman, Gabriel Bortoleto and Alex Albon. The same report said tournament president Mélanie-Antoinette de Massy accompanied Monaco’s royal family on Sunday. (monaco-tribune.com) By Sunday evening, Monte Carlo had produced both ends of the sport’s scale: Sinner lifting his first title there and Medvedev absorbing a 49-minute defeat that overshadowed almost everything else before the final. (atptour.com; atptour.com)
