Monte Carlo Rolex Masters 2025, Monaco, ATP Masters 1000

[MargaretMcAleer]

QFs,

Davidovich Fokina vs Popyrin First meeting
Alcaraz (2) vs Fils (12) First meeting
Dimitrov (15) vs de Minaur (8) Alex leads their H2H 3-2
Tsitsipas (6) vs Musetti (13) Stef leads their H2H 5-0

 

[mrzz]

QFs,

Davidovich Fokina vs Popyrin First meeting
Alcaraz (2) vs Fils (12) First meeting
Dimitrov (15) vs de Minaur (8) Alex leads their H2H 3-2
Tsitsipas (6) vs Musetti (13) Stef leads their H2H 5-0

Fok over Pop

Fils will feel (the ball)

Dimi over deMi

Come on, Musetti, win this shit or I will personally make you eat your fried testicles

 

[don_fabio]

FWIW, Jason Goodall and Paul Annacone think that if Novak gets #25, it'll come at Wimbledon, due to the lack of competent players on grass, and the fact that it's basically easier on the body. (Well, not the knees.)

I'm not sure about the Wimbledon. Alcaraz exposed him last year, overpowered and outplayed him in every possible way (despite the knee thing). I think Sinner is capable of doing similar if he comes to play anything close to his form before the ban. That's already 2 top players. I think days of beating Berrettinis and Kyrgiosis are over and Novak's return game has seriously declined.

 

[don_fabio]

Goran will coach Tsitsipas?

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

Goran will coach Tsitsipas?

Yes I am about to post that news on ATP News, I had to double check as I nearly fell off my chair when I read it, yes I also have my glasses on

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

Fok over Pop

Fils will feel (the ball)

Dimi over deMi

Come on, Musetti, win this shit or I will personally make you eat your fried testicles

My poor headcase Italian Musetti has just been put on notice Ouch! lol!

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

Just finishing listening to recent Gil Gross podcast,
He agrees with me regarding Novak skipping Madrid, high altitude court which really doesent give a player much traction going into Rome and RG
Though as Gil also said now that Novak lost in his first round match in MC he will probably need to play Madrid now, to get some match play

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

Isnt it good to watch a Masters 1000 that doesnt go to 2 weeks
Most players agree, I wish the other Masters would take note, a Masters 1000 is not a Grand Slam, though some of the tournament directors think otherwise, they are only thinking of the dollar signs quite frankly nothing else.

 

[Moxie]

Fok over Pop

Fils will feel (the ball)

Dimi over deMi

Come on, Musetti, win this shit or I will personally make you eat your fried testicles

I will root for Foki over Popyrin.
I know you root against Alcaraz, but Fils is too inconsistent yet to play that well two days in a row.
I prefer de Minaur, as Dimitrov has pissed me off too many times over the years, but I think Dimitrov will take it.
I'd love to see Musetti take out Tsitsipas, but I'm not feeling it. He has to step up to do it. If he does, he could make it the match of the day.

 

[Moxie]

I'm not sure about the Wimbledon. Alcaraz exposed him last year, overpowered and outplayed him in every possible way (despite the knee thing). I think Sinner is capable of doing similar if he comes to play anything close to his form before the ban. That's already 2 top players. I think days of beating Berrettinis and Kyrgiosis are over and Novak's return game has seriously declined.

Then we could make the argument, based on the above, that Novak's days of winning a Major are over. I still think he has less competition at Wimbledon. But we have arrived at the point, as we did with Roger and Rafa, that we start to think he'll need help from the draw, and from upsets to stiffer competition. The competition is deeper at HC slams, and, frankly, I don't think he has another Roland Garros in him. The next month and a half will be interesting, in many ways.

 

[Kieran]

Goran will coach Tsitsipas?

This is the most hilarious tennis thing I’ve heard in a long long time. Is this really gonna happen? I hope it does! I can’t think of another misfit pairing that might actually work…for a while, at least…

 

[mrzz]

I will root for Foki over Popyrin.
I know you root against Alcaraz, but Fils is too inconsistent yet to play that well two days in a row.
I prefer de Minaur, as Dimitrov has pissed me off too many times over the years, but I think Dimitrov will take it.
I'd love to see Musetti take out Tsitsipas, but I'm not feeling it. He has to step up to do it. If he does, he could make it the match of the day.

Just to be clear (and I am pretty sure you know it already), I have nothing against Alcaraz. I actually "simpathize" (the cognate word in Portuguese means "to like/have a positive opinion about", I know it does not have the exact same meaning in English but I want to use anyway) with him.

But when you make "predictions", you kind of get stuck with it, in the sense that you start to root for them to be right. And given that I am just a tiny little less enthusiastic about Alcaraz than most here, and I "predicted" he would not be that dominant, every time he loses a match it seems like a little petty victory for my clairvoyant self. Doesn't feel that particularly good, to be honest...

In this case, however , I am just giving Fils a nod, also taking notice that Alcaraz started slow both of his matches so far.

 

[Moxie]

Just to be clear (and I am pretty sure you know it already), I have nothing against Alcaraz. I actually "simpathize" (the cognate word in Portuguese means "to like/have a positive opinion about", I know it does not have the exact same meaning in English but I want to use anyway) with him.

But when you make "predictions", you kind of get stuck with it, in the sense that you start to root for them to be right. And given that I am just a tiny little less enthusiastic about Alcaraz than most here, and I "predicted" he would not be that dominant, every time he loses a match it seems like a little petty victory for my clairvoyant self. Doesn't feel that particularly good, to be honest...

In this case, however , I am just giving Fils a nod, also taking notice that Alcaraz started slow both of his matches so far.

I understand the cognate. You know I speak Spanish and Italian. I get you.

Alcaraz started significantly less slow today, btw. It's fine if you feel compelled to dig in on your prediction, as to his future. Still, Fils in unpredictable, day to day. I thought Cerundolo would be the problem.

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

BTW,
Fils is the only player to reach QFs at all three Masters 1000 in 2025!

 

[mrzz]

You know I speak Spanish and Italian.

I know you would get it, but not everyone speaks those languages... anyway I always struggle to translate that word to English. I actually had forgotten about
"simpatizzare", even if "simpàtico" is pretty common place and has exactly the same meaning as in Portuguese. That's exactly how I feel about Alcaraz: è un ragazzo simpàtico.

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

FOKI! well done into the SFs!

 

[Moxie]

I know you would get it, but not everyone speaks those languages... anyway I always struggle to translate that word to English. I actually had forgotten about
"simpatizzare", even if "simpàtico" is pretty common place and has exactly the same meaning as in Portuguese. That's exactly how I feel about Alcaraz: è un ragazzo simpàtico.

Likeable? Easy to like? "Simpático" in English has a different meaning, by the way. It tends to mean "like-minded."

Fils wins the first, even though Carlos got 2 breaks back. Hitting big and with confidence, mostly. I personally think @El Dude underrates where he's likely to land. Anyway, he's going toe-to-toe with Alcaraz, who needs to up his game to pull this one off.

 

[Moxie]

FOKI! well done into the SFs!

I'm impressed you picked him as your dark horse for this. He's had a pretty good year, but I'm still impressed you pulled him out. Any conflicts who to root for, since he was playing an Aussie?

 

[El Dude]

Likeable? Easy to like? "Simpático" in English has a different meaning, by the way. It tends to mean "like-minded."

Fils wins the first, even though Carlos got 2 breaks back. Hitting big and with confidence, mostly. I personally think @El Dude underrates where he's likely to land. Anyway, he's going toe-to-toe with Alcaraz, who needs to up his game to pull this one off.

Maybe! I still think he maxes out as a top 10 guy who dips into the top 5, but is not one of the "best of the best." He'll win Masters and might sneak out a Slam or two, but that's because it is a more open field. We're used to a huge gap between the Big 3/4 and everyone else, with the occasional guy like Del Potro or Wawrinka slipping into the mix. Maybe Fils has times when he's up there like that, but I just don't see him on the same level as Sincaraz or what I imagine Fonseca will be.

I don't know if you remember this, but last year at some point I posed the question of who would be better: Mensik or Fils. It is still an open question, imo.

 

[Moxie]

Wow...Charly kind of stole that set at the last second.