2025 Monte-Carlo Masters: 4 Crazy Events That Already Happened In The First Round

The European clay court season kicks off in earnest this week with the ATP 1000 Monte-Carlo Masters tournament.  For Rafael Nadal fans, this is going to be a painful time of year until they get used to Nadal’s retirement because he owned this leg of the tennis season for decades. He was a 12-time finalist and 11-time champion, including an eight-year winning streak from 2005-2012, broken by Novak Djokovic, who beat Nadal in the 2013 final.  Nadal’s final win came as the conclusion of a three-peat in 2018.

Rolex Monte Carlo Masters 1000 will begin in 11 days. Who can forget the King of Rolex Monte Carlo Masters 1000?

Rafa Nadal’s historic 11 Rolex Monte Carlo Masters 1000 still stands tall to this day & probably for the longest time.@RafaelNadal🐐👑🥇#rolexmontecarlomasters ig pic.twitter.com/InGHy7bJC8

— Madel Suravilla (@madel_suravilla) March 25, 2025

This year’s Monte-Carlo Masters, an ATP 1000 event, is only in the first round, and it’s trying to distract us from our Nadal grief with craziness.  Here are four things that already happened.

1. The Earlier Than Expected Canadian Exodus

Felix Auger-Aliassime (FAA) and Denis Shapovalov were upset in the first round.  Both players have solid clay court resumes, so their first-round oustings were a surprise. 16th seed FAA lost in straight sets to Daniel Altmaier.  Shapovalov lost to American Marcos Giron.

2. Ben Shelton Can’t Hold Serve

Alejandro Davidovich Fokina defeats Ben Shelton 6-7(2), 6-2, 6-1 to reach the 2nd round in Monte-Carlo.

From 7-6(2), 2-0 up, Ben Shelton, one of the best servers in the game, was unable to create a single GAME POINT on his serve.

Insane. pic.twitter.com/53eNCk71no

— José Morgado (@josemorgado) April 7, 2025

11th seed Ben Shelton lost to a very solid Alejandro Davidovich-Fokina. The loss is not as surprising as the notion that Shelton’s big serve was not a factor in the final two sets. Davidovich-Fokina won the match 6-7, 6-2, 6-1.  Shelton’s matches traditionally have tight sets or tiebreakers because his serve keeps him in contention.

3. Daniil Medvedev Needed A Medical Timeout After He Won

It is widely known that Daniil Medvedev is a hardcourt specialist, so clay is not his favorite surface.  He won a tight three-set match over Karen Khachanov, 7-5, 4-6, 6-4.  After the match, he needed to see the trainer before exiting the court for leg cramps.  He could barely walk to the net to talk with Khachanov after he won match point.

Daniil Medvedev just invented the post-match medical timeout, iconic pic.twitter.com/twihfzKNya

— Bastien Fachan (@BastienFachan) April 7, 2025

4. Fun Doubles Pairings

The “Watch more Doubles” movement got a heavy dose of excitement and intrigue at this year’s Monte-Carlo Masters. 45-year-old Rohan Bopanna and 22-year-old Ben Shelton took the court together and won their first round match over the formidable pairing of Francisco Cerundolo and Alejandro Tabilo.

Early W for Ben & Bopanna 😄

New doubles pair @BenShelton & @rohanbopanna defeat Cerundolo & Tabilo 6-3 7-5 at the #RolexMonteCarloMasters pic.twitter.com/jKpKYmzryj

— Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters (@ROLEXMCMASTERS) April 6, 2025

The Tsitsipas brothers are back at it.  Stefanos Tsitsipas and his brother Petros won a first-round match over Americans Evan King and Christian Harrison.

Watch the Monte Carlo Masters now through April 13, 2025, on the Tennis Channel.