ATP Masters in Monte Carlo, 3rd round, Tuesday, 13.04.2022
The record champion has to watch injured, the world number 1 is out of form, the number 2 is also just sitting in front of the TV – what are the chances that the Monte Carlo Masters 2022 might get a German winner?
Should it come to that, of course everyone agrees on what his name will be. However, the Olympic champion would have to firstly lift his recent form and secondly discover his love for the red sand. Read my Delbonis Zverev tip to find out why I see far less clear-cut conditions than the bookmakers!
The fact that Alexander Zverev and the clay surface are not the very best of friends becomes clear just by looking at the overall odds. Whether Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic, Stefanos Tsitsipas or Casper Ruud, they are all ahead of him in the favour of German bettors.
In recent weeks, the German No. 1 has been the talk of the town with early retirements and flubs, but that should change now. Here in Monte Carlo he is at home and has a clear goal.
It is the only Masters on clay that is still missing for him! Is he a clay specialist after all? By his own admission, a clear “yes”. Zverev likes the fast sand, which is only available when the temperatures get warmer.
He didn’t exactly get the best line in the draw. Already in the 3rd round, should he clear the opening hurdle, Pablo Carreno Busta, Alexander Bublik or Stan Wawrinka threaten.
Andrey Rublev and Jannik Sinner could be his next opponents. Only once, in 2018, did Zverev make it past the last 16 in Monte Carlo, so it’s really not a favourite tournament here.
2019 he has won both previous duels with Federico Delbonis, but it was never really clear. 7-5, 6-7, 6-3 as well as 6-4, 7-6, the spectators were not bored at all here.
Federico Delbonis will of course hope to give Zverev another tough fight on Wednesday. The Argentine is ranked 34th in the rankings, so he is not an easy opponent.
He mastered his opener with a 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 win over Jaume Munar. 57% won points on first serve, in this statistic he will be far behind Zverev if he doesn’t improve.
And that despite being almost as tall as the German at 1.93m. A year ago, the left-hander reached the 3rd round of Monte Carlo for the first time after a clear win over Adrian Mannarino.
Rafael Nadal, however, clearly put him in his place afterwards. Alexander Zverev was not the only one to struggle in Indian Wells and Miami, Federico Delbonis did not cope with the conditions either.
He failed early in both matches, but had a very strong opponent in Nick Kyrgios. On the other hand, he played great before the two Masters, as evidenced by his semi-final at the Argentina Open.
A little later, he gave Carlos Alcaraz a tough fight in Rio and only just failed. If he brings this performance to the court against Alexander Zverev, it will certainly not be a walk in the park for the favourite.
My Delboni Zverev Tip
Alexander Zverev is counting on a quick, power-packed win in Round 1, but will it really be that easy? He doesn’t really like the clay of Monte Carlo.
His two wins against Federico Delbonis were very close, will it be close again against the Argentine?
I trust Delbonis to give Zverev a tough fight. It wouldn’t be the first time that the Olympic champion has struggled at the beginning of a tournament. Therefore, my tip is:
We see more than 18.5 games!
