Casper Ruud names the player he thinks is the biggest threat to win the Monte Carlos Masters

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Casper Ruud thinks he knows which player is the biggest threat to the Monte Carlos Masters title.

The third Masters 1000 title of the year is now upon us and it officially marks the start of the European clay court season.

The world’s best players are in Monaco looking to start this portion of the season with momentum heading into the next two months of action on the clay.

One of those players looking to do just that is Casper Ruud, who thrives playing on the dirt more than any other surface.

Casper Ruud thinks Carlos Alcaraz is the biggest threat at the Monte Carlo Masters

Ruud is looking to build on his run from at Monte Carlo Masters in 2024.

The Norwegian defeated Novak Djokovic for the first time in his career to reach the final, but lost to Stefanos Tsitsipas who won in Monte Carlo for the third time.

A year later, Ruud will try to get his hands on the trophy once again, but he thinks there is one other player who is the biggest threat to the title in Monaco.

That is Carlos Alcaraz, who Ruud beat for the first time at the ATP Finals in November 2024.

“I think in my eyes Carlos is a big threat,” Ruud told Sky Sports. “He has won Roland Garros, won Madrid a couple of times. He knows how to shape a ball on clay.”

Carlos Alcaraz wins his first ever match at the Monte Carlo Masters

Alcaraz finally recorded his first match win at the Monte Carlo Masters.

In what is his first appearance at the tournament since 2022, the Spaniard took on Francisco Cerundolo, not an easy opening round opponent.

The Argentine started brightly and took the first set, but Alcaraz then went into overdrive and stormed back to take sets two and three for the loss of just one game and advance to the next round.

“I didn’t start well. I made a lot of mistakes and I let him play inside the court, dominating the points,” said Alcaraz after his 3-6, 6-0, 6-1 win.

“I just knew that I had to do something else, play more aggressively, and play my own tennis: drop shots, going to the net and more aggression. The most important change was the return, I tried to return closer to the line and push him.”