- Carlos Alcaraz kicks off French Open Tennis campaign with straight-set win over Londero
- Ricky’s picks for Day 2 at the French Open Tennis, including Rafa Nadal vs. Thompson
- Upset Sunday: Garbiñe Muguruza, Ons Jabeur Both Fall in Roland Garros Openers
- Roland Garros Men’s and Women’s Draws and Schedule for Monday, May 23, 2022
- Roland Garros Men’s and Women’s Draws and Schedule for Sunday, May 22, 2022
- ATP, WTA Strip Wimbledon of Ranking Points
- Zverev: Stefanos Tsitsipas is Favorite in Bottom Half of Roland Garros Draw
- Roland Garros Men’s and Women’s Draws: Daniil Medvedev, Andrey Rublev in Bottom Quarter
- French Open draw ceremony produces a Djokovic-Nadal quarter, Alcaraz also in top half
- Roland Garros Men’s and Women’s Draws: Osaka vs. Anisimova in First Round
- World No. 2 Barbora Krejcikova Signs with Fila
- The 20-Year Grand Slam Streak of Feliciano Lopez Has Come to an End
- Roland Garros Qualifying Draws and Schedule for Thursday, May 19th
- Roland Garros Qualifying Draws and Schedule for Wednesday, May 18th
- Gael Monfils Withdraws from Roland Garros
ATP Tennis Upsets abound in Monte-Carlo as Djokovic and Alcaraz crash out right away
- Updated: April 13, 2022

By Ricky Dimon
Well, so much for the projected Monte-Carlo Masters quarterfinal showdown between Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz….
To say it didn’t even come close to happening would be a gross understatement. Both players fell two rounds short of the quarters, as they combined to win a grand total of zero matches this week. Djokovic’s second tournament of 2022 ended abruptly in the form of a 6-3, 6-7(5), 6-1 loss to Alejandro Davidovich Fokina on Tuesday. Alcaraz played his second-round match on Wednesday and succumbed to Sebastian Korda 7-6(2), 6-7(5), 6-3.
Djokovic understandably showed signs of rust after missing Masters 1000 events in Indian Wells and Miami because he could not enter the United States as an unvaccinated foreigner. The top-ranked Serb was forced out of the Australian Open, as well. Thus Tuesday marked just his first match since February and fourth of the year. A slow start was followed by a resurgent second set, but Djokovic wore down physically and mentally in the third.
“This win is so special for me because I grew up watching Nole and I’m a big fan of his,” Davidovich Fokina commented. “I look at him every tournament, every match. Here in Monte-Carlo, full of people, against the No. 1, I enjoyed every moment. I’m so happy.

“I started [well] from the beginning because I knew that Nole [hasn’t played] a lot. Then I had to focus on every point because I had my chances from the beginning and I just did it. When he won the second set it was tough mentally, but I am working so hard to be more focussed. It doesn’t matter if I lost the second set or I lost the first set. I have to be prepared for the war.”
Alcaraz vs. Korda on Wednesday was even more of a war. It lasted three hours and two minutes while featuring 29 break points, 13 of which were converted. The 21-year-old American earned his seventh break for 5-3 in the final set and then came back from 0-30 down in the next game to clinch victory over the recent Miami winner.
“It was nice to get the victory today,” Korda assured. “I stayed calm and believed in my returning. It was super tough. It was a crazy match.”
It will be Korda vs. Taylor Fritz in a third-round battle between fast-rising Americans on Wednesday. Fritz, the Indian Wells champion, knocked off Marin Cilic in three sets.
Ricky contributes to10sballs.com and also maintains his own tennis website, The Grandstand. You can follow him on twitter at @Dimonator.