The draw for the men’s singles tournament at the 2026 Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters has now been revealed, and this 119th edition promises to be a thrilling spectacle.
The draw ceremony took place on Friday afternoon at the Monte-Carlo Bay, one of the tournament’s official hotels, in the presence of Melanie-Antoinette de Massy, President of the Monegasque Tennis Federation and President of the Monte-Carlo Country Club; Lionel Beffre, Minister of the Interior of the Principality; Monegasque player Valentin Vacherot, currently ranked No. 23 in the world; as well as Hugo Nys, a member of the Monegasque Davis Cup team, and Romain Arnéodo, last year’s doubles champion.
Valentin Vacherot, who has enjoyed a spectacular rise in the ATP rankings since his victory at the Rolex Shanghai Masters last year, approaches his home tournament with a very different status. “It’s a different edition for me, of course. There’s a bit more pressure, but it’s good pressure that I need to turn into strong performances on court,” he said.
Tournament referee Stéphane Apostolou conducted the draw, which has already set up several high-quality match-ups from the very first round. One standout clash will see three-time champion Stefanos Tsitsipas face Argentina’s clay-court specialist Francisco Cerúndolo, the No. 16 seed.
In what will be his final appearance in Monaco, Gaël Monfils, who has been awarded a wild card, faces a tough opening match against Dutchman Tallon Griekspoor. Also entering with a wild card, Stan Wawrinka, the 2014 champion, is playing the final season of his career. As a potential farewell highlight on Monegasque clay, the Swiss could face Carlos Alcaraz in the second round, in what would be a fascinating clash of generations.
Should the seedings hold, this 119th edition promises highly attractive quarter-finals. Among the possible encounters is a rematch of one of the 2025 semi-finals between Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti and Australia’s Alex de Minaur. Another potential blockbuster would see Alexander Zverev take on Daniil Medvedev.
Elsewhere, Jannik Sinner could meet Canada’s Félix Auger-Aliassime in the quarter-finals, while Kazakhstan’s Alexander Bublik, the No. 8 seed, could stand in the way of defending champion and top seed Carlos Alcaraz. For the Spaniard, the challenge is twofold this year: to retain both his Monte-Carlo title and his World No. 1 ranking. Indeed, if his closest rival in the ATP rankings, Jannik Sinner, fresh from victories in Indian Wells and Miami, were to lift the trophy next Sunday on Court Rainier III, Alcaraz would lose both his crown and the top spot.
Tomorrow: Mini Tennis Exhibition
Before beginning his campaign, Jannik Sinner will take part in a Mini Tennis exhibition match on Saturday morning alongside Alexander Zverev, currently ranked World No. 4, on the Maritime Station breakwater.
The event is open to the public.
