The Monte Carlo Masters has seen epic rivalries on the court over the years. The first clay court Masters 1000 event of the season always delivers in terms of the quality of the matches. Legends of the game, such as Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, and Novak Djokovic, have showcased their talents at the Monte Carlo Masters.
A few battles from the 2010 era remain etched in the fans’ memories and here are some of those –
Roger Federer vs Jo-Wilfried Tsonga: 2014 quarterfinals
The rivalry between Roger Federer and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga is an example of grace and sheer power displayed on the court. The 2014 Monte Carlo Masters quarterfinals was the 15th meeting between the dynamic duo. Tsonga led the match from the start with his powerful forehand strokes in the opening set.
The Frenchman struggled in the second set as Federer hit the ball all around the court. Tsonga’s court coverage weakness was left exposed as Federer narrowly escaped from the clutches of defeat. Tsonga had multiple chances in the second to close out the match but succumbed to pressure.
The 20-time Grand Slam champion began to dominate the match with his angled backhands and slices. After winning the second set, Federer carried on that momentum in the next five games in the final set. He went on to win the match 2-6, 7-6, 6-1.
Rafael Nadal vs David Ferrer: 2015 quarterfinals
In the 2015 quarterfinals at Monte Carlo, fans saw Rafael Nadal take on David Ferrer. They had met in the previous year’s edition, where Ferrer had become the third player in history to defeat Nadal in straight sets at the Monte Carlo Casters.
The King of Clay was eager to avenge his defeat on that instance. Nadal’s intention was clear from the start as he carefully began rallying with Ferrer, who was in an aggressive mode. Nadal’s backhand could not attack like usual, but Ferrer’s unforced errors at crucial moments evened it out. Nadal took the opening set and extended the confidence he got from that, into the second set as well.
Nadal won the first three games in the second set and was on course for a comfortable win. But Ferrer fought back, and instead of playing it safe, he advanced to the net and finished the points quickly to take the set. In the third set though, Nadal was back in form and made no mistakes to win the match, 6-4, 5-7, 6-2.
Rafael Nadal vs Gael Monfils: 2016 final
The 2016 Monte Carlo Masters saw Gael Monfils play in the final of a Masters 1000 on clay for the first time. But he was playing against Nadal and had never taken a set off the Spaniard on the red dirt. Monfils used his forehand to send missiles to the court, but it wasn’t enough because Nadal had his artillery to combat the attack.
In the first set, both players hit huge forehands down the line but multiple double faults from Monfils gave Nadal a vital lead. In the second set, the flying Frenchman boldly took on Nadal with powerful, winning forehands.
In the third set, the former World No.1 was charged up with confidence as Monfils seemed to be running low on energy. The final set ended dramatically as Nadal inflicted the bagel on Monfils. The scoreboard read 7-5, 5-7, 6-0.
David Goffin vs Novak Djokovic: 2017 quarterfinals
Novak Djokovic was making his 11th appearance at the 2017 Monte Carlo Masters. He played for over 5 hours in his first two matches and set up a showdown with David Goffin. Djokovic had only lost a single set in their past five meetings on the ATP Tour.
Goffin began strongly with solid backhand shots and his defense startled Djokovic. After taking the opening set though, Goffin could not pull it off in the second set as the Serbian made a comeback to level the scores. Djokovic was getting sharper from the baseline and was cracking Goffin’s defence.
In the final set, Djokovic was leading 4-2, but Goffin did not give up and kept returning every ball to even things out and keep his hopes up. The Belgian’s shotmaking forced Djokovic to hit risky shots, which backfired and cost him the match. After 2 hours and 38 minutes, Goffin secured his first career victory over a top-three-ranked player. Goffin beat Djokovic 6-2, 3-6, 7-5 and recorded his best performance at the event.
Alexander Zverev vs Richard Gasquet: 2018 quarterfinals
The 2018 Monte Carlo Masters saw 21-year-old Alexander Zverev taking on a player 10 years older than him, Richard Gasquet. The match saw players focusing on hitting flawless backhands during the rallies. On one side, it was Zverev’s steady backhand versus Gasquet’s elegant one-handed backhand.
Gasquet did not go easy on the birthday boy as he hit six backhand winners in the opening set, the same as Zverev. The German lost the first set. In the second set, Zverev saved five break points at the start and only conceded two games, which forced the game to the decider. Both players left no traces of faults in the final set as the rallies became longer.
Gasquet broke serve on the seventh game with a 31-shot rally, finishing with a classy backhand volley. Zverev fiercely hit the shots across the net, breaking back and taking the set. The match ended with a perfect backhand passing shot from Zverev, who fell to the ground to celebrate his victory in the quarterfinals.
