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Week 15
After his early exit from the Aussie Open, the 11-time Monaco champion Rafael Nadal had announced that he would return to the tour within 6-8 weeks, leading many to speculate that Miami was a realistic option. However, Nadal did not appear in the United States and also skipped another Masters 1K event – his second favorite after Roland Garros. Along with Nadal, two other big names, Carlos Alcaraz (spine) and Félix Auger-Aliassime (left knee), were also missing from the Monte Carlo entry list… Novak Đoković returned to action, having not played officially in March due to being unvaccinated and unable to go to the USA; he lost a dramatic, rain-interrupted third round match to Lorenzo Musetti, who entered it having won 19 straight games… Andrey Rublev, an elite player since 2020, has finally captured a prestigious title. Although he had won many “ATP 500” titles, he had never conquered a Masters 1K event or advanced to a Grand Slam semifinal. In a dramatic final against Holger Rune, whom Rublev had defeated in a thrilling contest during this year’s Australian Open, Rublev came back from a point to avoid a double break in the deciding set. “I have tears,” Rublev said. “I don’t know what to say to be honest. I don’t know. I am just happy, finally. [I have] been struggling so much to win this freaking Masters 1000 tournament. Finally losing 1:4, Love-30, saving break point, thinking there is no chance to win, and somehow I did it.”
Mark-Kevin Goellner [95] was a new revelation of the season in southern France. The 22-year-old German (not spelled “Göllner” as he was born in Brazil) was virtually unknown prior to that week. He managed to reach his first ATP semifinal as a qualifier, and could be very happy facing one of the best players in the world, Stefan Edberg. Goellner had other ideas, though. He not only defeated Edberg but also shocked another legend of the game, Ivan Lendl, in the final, despite initially trailing 1-6, *1:2 (0/30). Goellner had a powerful serve, modern top-spin forehand, and nice variety in his game-style. He would notch another valuable results on clay soon, and many people thought of him as an upcoming star of the tour. However, it didn’t happen, as the year 1993 remained his best, despite playing professional tennis for another ten years.
Monte Carlo (Masters 1K, clay outdoors)
Nice ($275K, clay outdoors)
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