Welcome to the Dirt

Monte Carlo

Welcome to the Dirt

It’s officially the clay court season—which kicks off in my favorite place to launder Buttcoin and play blackjack, Monte Carlo.

The transition to the dirt is the perfect time to check in on how some of the big names are doing—and what’s at stake for them this week. I’ve got my eye on three in particular: Alexander Zverev, Richard Gasquet, and Carlos Alcaraz.

But before we dive in, here’s a quick refresher on how the ranking system works—it’ll help when we talk about “defending points.”

The ATP rankings run on a 52-week rolling basis. So if you crushed it at the 2024 Miami Open, those points stay with you for a full year. But once the 2025 edition hits, those points disappear—and you’ve got to earn them all over again. That’s what we mean by defending points.

Alright, let’s get into it!

Alexander Zverev

If you recall, Jannik Sinner’s suspension gave Zverev a path to become No. 1. But since then, Zverev has shit the bed.

He’s looked flat since February—losing early in Acapulco (second round), Indian Wells (first round), and Miami (fourth round). Since making the Australian Open final, he hasn’t strung together three wins in a row.

Now, he’ll hope the clay brings a reset. Zverev, last year’s French Open finalist, doesn’t have many points to defend in Monte Carlo. That could let him swing more freely and finally find some rhythm. His hopes of catching Sinner soon are gone, but a solid run—say, fourth round or better—might be the spark he needs.

Now, onto a man who’s taking a victory lap.

Richard Gasquet

Show some respect Gen Zers—Gasquet is not in fact “cooked”. The 38 year old Frenchman, set to retire at Roland Garros, just won his first round against Matteo Arnaldi.

Gasquet is making his 12th appearance in The Principality. He made his debut way back in 2002 as a 15-year-old—and on that day, he became the youngest player to win an ATP match since the Tour began in 1990.

Once dubbed “the little Mozart of French tennis”, Gasquet plays Daniel Altmaier in the second round tomorrow—super winnable given that I have no idea who Altmaier is.

Regardless, in the next two months, try to watch Gasquet and take in the beauty of his one-hander one last time. I’m going to miss it!

Now, sliding into Mr. Dropshot.

Carlos Alcaraz

Right now, Carlos feels like that friend who normally participates a lot in the group chat, but hasn’t talked much recently. Everything okay man?

The Spaniard has had a relatively quiet year: a quarterfinal run at the Australian Open, a 500 title, and a surprising first-round loss in Miami. Like Zverev, the four-time Grand Slam champ is still searching for his top gear—and the clay might be just what he needs.

Looking forward, he didn’t play Monte Carlo last year, so he has no points to defend. Hopefully not having that stress helps him play freely—because tennis is better when Alcaraz is dancing around the baseline, hitting his little fairy-princess drop shots, and grinning ear to ear after wild, chaotic rallies.

Let’s see how it all unfolds 😎

Trivia

Only one player beat Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal in the same Grand Slam. Who was it?

A. Juan Martin del Potro

B. Stanislas Wawrinka

C. Carlos Alcaraz

D. Roger Federer

Find out at the bottom!

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Meet the Player

Paula Badosa

From: Spain 🇪🇸

Career High Ranking: 2

Fun Fact: Sees something in Stefanos Tsitsipas (they’re dating)

Game Analysis: What stands out about Badosa is that her technique is near flawless. Because of that, she’s got all the shots. She can slug it out from the baseline against the tour’s hardest hitters, play high and heavy, and comfortably make her way to net. With such a complete game, it’s no wonder how she got to No. 2 in the world.

Career Prediction: After a stress fracture took her out of action in 2023, Badosa stormed back into the Top 20 in 2024, winning Comeback Player of the Year. If the Spaniard can stay healthy, she’ll be a fixture in the Top 10 for the next few years. I even think there’s a slam trophy with her name on it.

Memes

Answer

B. Stanislas Wawrinka

The Stanimal did the impossible at the 2014 Australian Open. He beat Djokovic in the quarters, and Nadal in the finals to win his first Grand Slam title.