The clay court season on the ATP Tour begins on Monday in Houston, Marrakech, and Bucharest. As usual, there are three Masters 1000 events in the red stuff before Roland Garros – starting in Monte-Carlo.
With one week left for the Monte-Carlo celebrations, Novak Djokovic announced his retirement. The 38-year-old Serb, who lost in the fourth round of Indian Wells and skipped Miami, spoke of an injury to his right shoulder. Djokovic is a two-time major champion but has not lifted the trophy since 2015 and has struggled there for more than a decade. The world No. 3 is 11-9 in his last 20 Monte-Carlo appearances.
“We send him our best wishes and we hope to see him back on the court soon,” said the organizers of the tournament.
Two Frenchmen at opposite ends of the career spectrum recently joined Stan Wawrinka and Matteo Berrettini as wild card contenders. Gael Monfils, 39, and Moise Kouame, 17, will be in the field of 56.
The Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters takes place April 5-12. It is the only Masters 1000 event that does not require the world’s top players.
