Monte Carlo - Was Sinner’s statement win a game-changer?

Key Takeaways

• •

  ATP launched official fantasy tennis game

  “The ATP, they have made a move here... they have launched its own fantasy tennis game.”

• •

  Slow windy conditions favor clay specialists

  “The real sort of natural clay quarters... are usually going to do pretty well at this tournament.”

• •

  Major withdrawals have weakened the field

  “this is a pretty significantly weakened field based on just withdrawal.”

• •

  Alejandro Tabilo is the dangerous dark horse

  “To me, he’s just easily the most dangerous unseated player in that particular section.”

• •

  Alcaraz maintains a dominant clay final streak

  “Alcaraz on clay has made at least the final of his last six events”

Episode Description

Catherine, David and Matt are here to look back on the first Sinner-Alcaraz match of the 2026 season.  Part one - Monte Carlo (00:00 - 30:59). We discuss Jannik Sinner’s victory over Carlos Alcaraz in the final and how it sets up their rivalry and the clay court season ahead. In what way did Sinner cope best with the windy conditions? How much confidence will he take from his? And how might Alcaraz respond? There’s also chat about the gap between them and the rest of the field after Sinner’s comprehensive win over Alexander Zverev in the semi-finals as well as a final word on Valentin Vacherot’s incredible run.  Part two - Linz and BJK Cup (31:00 - 59:29). Lilli Tagger’s run may have stopped in the quarter-finals, but the fun continued in Linz as Anastasia Potapova made it all the way to the final, only to lose to Mirra Andreeva. Just how impressive was that win for Andreeva? What’s the significance of her doing it without Conchita Martinez in her box? And how do we look back on the first edition of Linz on indoor clay? In the BJK Cup, we cover Great Britain’s shock win in Australia, USA’s defeat to Belgium, a compelling comeback from the Czechs to beat Switzerland, and a devastating day for Bianca Andreescu and Canada.  Part three (59:30 - 1:21:01) - Preview and predictions for the week ahead which sees Alcaraz go to Barcelona and Iga Swiatek return in Stuttgart.  Become a ⁠Friend of The Tennis Podcast⁠ Check out our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠new merch shop⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠!  Talk tennis with Friends on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Barge! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Sign up to receive our free ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (daily at Slams and weekly the rest of the year, featuring Matt’s Stat, mascot photos, Fantasy League updates, and more) Follow us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (@thetennispodcast) Subscribe to our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ channel. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.