Tennis: our expectations for this week's ATP events in Barcelona and Munich
by Cydias Aujard | by Cydias Aujard
ATP 500 Barcelona: a great turnout in Catalonia
This week is full of tennis predictions, with the eagerly-awaited ATP event in Barcelona.
Alcaraz to follow in Monte Carlo footsteps?
The number 1 seed in this Spanish tournament is, unsurprisingly, world number 2 Carlos Alcaraz, the two-time winner of the tournament in 2022 and 2023 as the loyal successor to his compatriot Rafael Nadal (winner of the title 12 times). Although he was hoping to string together a string of successes to come close to matching the young retiree's record, Carlos Alcaraz is likely to arrive at this tournament tired.
Although he will be playing in front of his home crowd, the 21-year-old has just notched up a string of victories at the Monte Carlo tournament, where he beat Lorenzo Musetti to claim the title for the first time in his career on Sunday. A second consecutive win should prove complicated for the Spaniard.
Casper faces tough competition
The current title-holder of the Barcelona tournament, Casper Ruud, is back this year to try and defend the title he won against Stefanos Tsitsipas. But the Norwegian seems to be struggling this year, as his main success was his run of 4 consecutive wins at the Dallas tournament, only to lose in the final to Canadian Denis Shapovalov.
Stopped in the first round in Indian Wells, then in the last eight in Miami, the 26-year-old began his clay-court season last week in Monaco and failed to win more than once, losing in the last eight to Alexei Popyrin. He is unlikely to have accumulated enough time on this surface to really hope to win the title again in Barcelona.
Stefanos Tsitsipas, our great favourite?
It is the number 3 seed, Stefanos Tsitsipas, who could come out on top. The Greek has just suffered a setback at the Monte-Carlo Masters 1000, where he came to defend his title. A title that was all the more important for him as it was his 3rd title in the Principality. But after winning his first two rounds against Jordan Thompson and Nuno Borges, the Greek lost in the quarter-finals to Italian Lorenzo Musetti, a member of the top 20, in a 3-set duel.
Clearly, the 26-year-old will be keen to put this result behind him quickly, as it was far from living up to his expectations and the talent he has demonstrated in recent weeks. Winner of the Dubai tournament against Felix Auger-Aliassime at the beginning of March, the player who was also a finalist in this tournament in Barcelona last year should this time be looking to climb the highest step and add his name to the Spanish trophy.
Our prediction for the ATP Barcelona winner: Stefanos Tsitsipas wins!
ATP 500 Munich: always an interesting tournament to follow
There's more to tennis this week than Barcelona! An interesting tournament awaits us in Germany, in Munich. Although the list of participants is less sexy on paper than in Catalonia, the tournament nevertheless features some excellent players with the little yellow ball.
Jan-Lennard Struff, a complicated double?
Defending champion Jan-Lennard Struff is back this year, hoping to defend his title in front of his home crowd. But the German is going through a complicated period in his career. In fact, the 34-year-old has not enjoyed much success, arriving in Germany with a run of 6 consecutive defeats on his record.
He failed to progress beyond the first round in Doha, Dubai, Indian Wells, the Phoenix Challenger, Miami and Monte Carlo last week. Having not won since February 13 against Hugo Grenier (ranked 184th in the world), winning the title this year promises to be a difficult task.
Alexander Zverev aims for 3rd title
Germany's Alexander Zverev, the number 1 seed, knows this Munich tournament well, having won the title twice in 2017 and 2018. Having competed in 3 clay-court tournaments this season, the 27-year-old has now won 2 consecutive titles, the only one coming in Rio de Janeiro, where he lost in the quarter-finals to Argentina's Facundo Comesana (ranked 61st in the world).
Stopped in the first round in Monte Carlo a few days ago by Matteo Berrettini, the German is unlikely to arrive at this tournament with any real confidence and is unlikely to intimidate his opponents as much as before.
Francisco Cerundolo, the one to watch in our opinion
It's the Argentinian, Francisco Cerundolo, who should hold our attention for the final result. The 26-year-old seems to be particularly fond of this ochre surface and is still looking for his first win of the season. Winner of last year's Umag tournament on this surface, he won his first round in Monte Carlo last week before losing, unsurprisingly, to world number 3 Carlos Alcaraz. It was a defeat that didn't really give him the chance to express himself on this surface, but it should have given him the desire to bounce back quickly and win another title in his career.
Playing against defending champion Jan-Lennard Struff in the first round, he should have no trouble taking advantage of the German's poor form to reach the second round quickly. What's more, a finalist at the Buenos Aires tournament last February after eliminating Alexander Zverev in the previous rounds, he was a quarter-finalist in Rio de Janeiro and a semi-finalist in Santiago. His recent experience is full of promise and should be enough to give him the confidence to add his name to the German trophy.
Our prediction for the ATP Munich winner: Francisco Cerundolo wins!
