Andy Murray was a keen observer of the Monte-Carlo Masters final between Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner.
The Spaniard came into this final looking to hold onto his title, while the Italian was aiming to build on his wins at Indian Wells and Miami.
It was Sinner who would emerge victorious in this clash between two of the finest players tennis has to offer at present in straight sets.
Alcaraz will be disappointed with this defeat ahead of Roland Garros next month, as he is looking to defend the title, claiming it after a fantastic five-set match with Sinner.
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This was the 17th match between the pair, and it brought in some crowd who wished to see whom would emerge victorious this time, including former professional and British great Andy Murray.
The Scot offered some commentary during the match on social media explaining exactly what both men had to do if they wanted to win the tricky match during the first set.
On X, formerly known as Twitter, he said: “Both guys struggling playing with the wind so far….you need to play with more patience and much higher margin for error when it’s like this.. the one who recognises this and adjusts quickest will win.”
Sinner would appear to deal with the wind better than Alcaraz after Murray’s comment as he managed to win the first set by coming out on top of the tie-break before making easier work of the second set.
Alcaraz will be disappointed to have suffered defeat, as it was his first loss in over a year on clay when he would place second at the Barcelona Open.
The Spaniard may be worried about the number of unforced errors he had during this match; he hit 45 unforced errors during the two-hour and 15-minute contest; meanwhile, his opponent appeared to deal perfectly well with the conditions.
It will be an area of improvement for Alcaraz to focus on before the French Open next month, while Sinner will take confidence from his ability to manage the conditions and see Alcaraz on clay.
The Italian seemed quite reflective in his post-match comments as he appeared pleased with how he dealt with the conditions, as reported by the Independent.
Sinner said: “It was a very strange match, because it was very windy. The conditions were not warm, which, you know, the ball is less bouncy that [makes it] a little bit easier to play tennis in general.
“But I tried. I think I was serving well in the important moments in the first set. In the tiebreak, I was very, very accurate. And in the second set was up and down a little bit from both [of us]. We both were slightly tired, because, you know, at the end of the tournament it's normal that you feel this way. A lot of tension for both of us.
“But it was a good match, I feel like, from him and also from my side. Small things where he is gonna improve, for sure, for the next match against me, and I have to be ready for that. But now I also want to enjoy this moment.”
Topics: Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, Tennis, Andy Murray
Brendan McGilligan