Djokovic failed in his 77th Masters 1000 semi-final and Ruud will play the Monte Carlo final with Tsitsipas

After making history by qualifying for his 77th Masters 1000 semifinal, one more than Rafael Nadal and eleven more than Roger Federer, Novak Djokovicworld number 1, he said goodbye to Monte Carlo by falling in three sets to the Norwegian Casper Ruud, who will decide the title with the Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas, already owner of two trophies in the Principality of Monaco.

Ruud, what He had never managed to win a set in five matches against the world number one, won 6-4, 1-6 and 6-4 (including a double fault by the Serb on the last point) and reached his second Masters 1000 final; previously he had lost in Miami in 2022.

The runner-up at Roland Garros in 2022 and 2023 had victory in hand and gave the sensation of being dizzy against the winner of twenty-four Grand Slam titles. From 4-1 in the final set we move to 4-4 after the reaction of the Belgrade player. The tennis player from Oslo regained his strength and won the next two games, closing the victory on his rival’s serve after two hours and eighteen minutes.

I had never won the tennis player from Oslo to Djokovic. Neither on clay, two defeats in Rome and one at Roland Garros, nor on hard court, in two ATP finals.

However, the antecedent had no psychological weight. He didn’t waste the opportunity against an opponent who hasn’t won anything yet this year and who hadn’t won in Monte Carlo since he won his last title, in 2015. The second after the one he won in 2013.

The match went back and forth, but Ruud showed his intentions from the start. He broke from the start and went on to have a 4-1 lead. In the end he secured the set, winning 6-4. The Serbian’s reaction was violent. 3-0 in the second quarter, closed 6-1.

In the final the Norwegian scored 3-0 and also 4-1. But Djokovic grows, drawing at four games. When it looked like the Norwegian was sinking again, he recovered. He won his serve and then broke the Serb’s to close out the match and meet Tsitsipas in Sunday’s final.

This Sunday, Ruud, who has accumulated ten titles, none this year, and ten finals, will face Stefanos Tsitsipas, who will go on to win his third title in Monte Carlo. The Greek defeated the unbeaten Jannik Sinner (2nd ATP) 6-4, 3-6 and 6-4 in the semifinals.

The 2021 and 2022 winner of this Masters 1000 had not beaten a player as high in the ATP ranking as Sinner since he beat Russian Daniil Medvedev, then world number 2, at Roland Garros in 2021. He had not played in a final nor a Masters 1000 on clay from Rome in 2022.

“I had to recover a level at which I hadn’t played for a long time on clay,” underlined Tsitsipas, who was eliminated in the quarter-finals last year at this tournament.

This Saturday Sinner, who already has three titles this year, remained in control at the start of the deciding set and went ahead 4-3 with his serve. But at that moment he called a medical timeout and a trainer massaged his right knee and thigh. Even though Sinner joked with him, the situation turned serious in the next match. Tsitsipas broke serve on his fifth attempt to equalize.

Sinner limped a bit late in the next game and strained the hamstring in his left leg before getting massages on both legs. His movements were limited in the decisive match and Tsitsipas won on the first match point.

Tsitsipas broke Sinner’s serve and took a 3-1 lead in the first set. The intensity level of both increased in the second set and the ninth game lasted 13 minutes in which Sinner saved five break points to level the duel.

He then broke Tsitsipas in the first game of the third set. At this point it seemed imminent that the Italian could reach another final. Indeed, the 22-year-old tennis player was enjoying himself and smiled at his coaching team after winning a puto with a daring dropshot in the fifth game.

But Tsitsipas, who faced Djokovic in a five-set final at France 2021, showed his trademark resilience to come out ahead when Sinner began to fade.

In the ATP rankings which will be published on Monday, the Greek will certainly return to the Top 10. In it the Italian will remain at number 2 after reaching the semi-finals.