Carlos Alcaraz admits struggles but relishing clay return after booking Monte Carlo quarter-final against Arthur Fils with win over Daniel Altmaier
By Rhys Jones
Updated 11/04/2025 at 08:37 GMT+1
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Carlos Alcaraz is showing why his preferred surface is clay court as he booked a quarter-final clash with Arthur Fils in Monte Carlo on Thursday after an impressive win. The Spaniard beat German qualifier Daniel Altmaier 6-3 6-1 and admitted his form has struggled over the last month, but is relishing his return to clay. Alcaraz is aiming for his first Masters 1000 title on clay outside of Madrid.
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Carlos Alcaraz booked his place in the Monte Carlo Masters quarter-finals after powering past Daniel Altmaier 6-3 6-1.
The Spaniard is relishing his chance to play on clay once again, and admitted he has struggled over the last month after losing on the hard courts at Indian Wells and the Miami Open.
The 21-year-old dispatched the German qualifier in two sets in Monaco, where he is competing for the first time since 2022.
He picked up his maiden win in Monte Carlo with an opening victory over Francisco Cerundolo, and is on the hunt for a first clay Masters 1000 title outside of Madrid.
"Honestly, it was difficult, Danny is playing great," said Alcaraz.
"He’s a solid clay-court player with a difficult game to play on clay. A lot of topspin shots and he’s really good physically. The score doesn’t show how difficult it was. I had to battle at the beginning of the first set.
"[I was] just really happy to have a break before the new balls, which helped with the serve. It was great having the first set, because in the second set, I could be more myself, play more aggressively, even more than in the first, and I took my chances, but it wasn't easy."
Altmaier hoped to unsettle Alcaraz with a flurry of groundstrokes in the first set, but it only empowered the Spaniard, as he overpowered the German despite a below-average serving performance.
After picking up a title in Rotterdam in February, Alcaraz suffered a quarter-final loss in Qatar before he lost to Jack Draper in the semi-finals at Indian Wells.
He crashed out in his first match in Miami, but is back playing on his preferred clay surface as he looks ahead to defending his French Open title at Roland-Garros later in the season.
"It has been a really good season so far," he added.
"I've probably struggled a little bit over the past month, but coming here on clay, which is what I love playing on, the surface that I grew up playing on."
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Alcaraz faces a quarter-final test against Frenchman Arthur Fils, whom he will be playing for the first time.
The 20-year-old produced a commanding performance against former champion Andrey Rublev to win 6-2 6-3 and continue his impressive start at the tournament.
"I’m playing the quarter-final here in Monte Carlo for the first time," Alcaraz said. "It's going to be really difficult against Arthur, who is playing great tennis lately.
"He's having a great season so far, so it’s going to be an interesting match. I think it's the first time that I play against him, it’s going to be beautiful to watch and hopefully the people are going to enjoy it."
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