On a crisp April morning in 2025, the sun cast a golden glow over the Monte Carlo Country Club, illuminating the red clay courts where Carlos Alcaraz, the 21-year-old Spanish sensation, etched his name deeper into tennis history. In a thrilling second-round clash at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters, Alcaraz overcame Argentina’s Francisco Cerundolo with a commanding 3-6, 6-0, 6-1 victory, marking his first-ever win at the prestigious tournament. This triumph wasn’t just a milestone for the young star—it propelled him to the third-highest clay-court win percentage in the Open Era, a testament to his growing dominance on the surface that has long been a proving ground for the sport’s elite.
The match itself was a tale of resilience and redemption. Alcaraz, who had skipped the past two editions of Monte Carlo due to injuries, started shakily, dropping the first set as Cerundolo’s aggressive play caught him off guard. “I didn’t start well,” he admitted later, reflecting on how he let his opponent dictate the early exchanges. But the Spaniard, known for his adaptability and unrelenting spirit, flipped the script with a tactical shift that turned the tide. By stepping closer to the baseline and unleashing a barrage of aggressive returns, he transformed a sluggish beginning into a masterclass, dropping just one game across the next two sets. “I just knew I had to do something else—play more aggressively, use drop shots, go to the net,” he explained, his voice brimming with the confidence of a player who thrives under pressure.
This victory wasn’t just about overcoming Cerundolo—it marked Alcaraz’s 100th tour-level match on clay, a milestone that places him among an exclusive club. With 82 wins from those 100 matches, his 82% win percentage now trails only two legends: Rafael Nadal, with a jaw-dropping 90.5% across 535 matches, and Björn Borg, whose 86.1% spanned 331 contests. Alcaraz’s ascent to third on this list, surpassing countless clay-court luminaries, underscores his precocious talent and relentless drive. At just 21, he’s already amassed eight clay titles, including the 2024 French Open, and his latest win in Monte Carlo signals that his reign on the dirt is only beginning.
The significance of this moment wasn’t lost on Alcaraz. “I’m really happy to be here,” he said, his eyes gleaming with excitement as he spoke about returning to a tournament he’d only played once before, losing to Sebastian Korda in 2022. That earlier defeat had gnawed at him, a rare blemish on his clay résumé. “It’s one of the few tournaments where I haven’t won a match, so I feel great finally getting my first win,” he added, savoring the relief of shedding that burden. His joy spilled over as he signed the camera lens with “I missed clay,” a heartfelt nod to the surface that shaped his childhood in Murcia, Spain.
Monte Carlo has long been a crucible for clay-court prowess, its slow, high-bouncing conditions demanding patience, precision, and power—qualities Alcaraz embodies in spades. His match against Cerundolo showcased this blend: after a shaky start, he found his rhythm, reeling off 11 of the next 12 games with a mix of blistering forehands and deft drop shots. The turnaround was clinical, a reminder of why he’s the reigning Roland Garros champion and a silver medalist from the 2024 Paris Olympics. “I love this time of year; I grew up on this surface,” he mused, hinting at a newfound affection for clay that might eclipse his previous preference for hard courts.
As Alcaraz advances to face Germany’s Daniel Altmaier in the third round, the tennis world buzzes with anticipation. His clay record—82-18 after 100 matches—places him alongside Nadal as one of only two Spaniards in the top five for wins in their first century of clay matches. With 24 clay tournaments under his belt, including 12 finals and 17 quarterfinals, Alcaraz’s trajectory suggests he could one day challenge Nadal’s unparalleled legacy. For now, though, he’s focused on the present, relishing the battles ahead. “On clay, you see long rallies—that’s what I like, watching tennis and playing here,” he said, his passion for the game as evident as his talent.
This Monte Carlo victory isn’t just a statistic—it’s a statement. For a player once overshadowed by the “Big Three” of Nadal, Djokovic, and Federer, Alcaraz is carving his own path, one clay court at a time. As the season unfolds, his third-best win percentage stands as both a milestone and a promise: Carlos Alcaraz is here to stay, and the red dirt is his kingdom to conquer.