MONTE-CARLO/STARNBERG, April 18, 2021 (Press Release)
The crowning of a new champion, Stefanos Tsitsipas, at the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters 2021 might be the sign of a new era. One of a young and uninhibited generation of players who more and more dare to challenge the big names of the sport. The 114th edition of the tournament proved to be full of surprises. At the age of 22, the young Greek collected his first ATP Masters 1000 title with a 6-3, 6-3 victory against Russian Andrey Rublev.
Tsitsipas won 86 per cent of his first-service points and broke Rublev’s serve three times to prevail after one hour and 11 minutes.
BREAKTHROUGH 🙌
The moment Stefanos Tsitsipas won his first Masters 1000 title! pic.twitter.com/3icLsgCx4S
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) April 18, 2021
“I had an unbelievable week in Monte-Carlo,” Tsitsipas said in his post-match interview. “I can’t describe my feelings right now. I am overwhelmed by so many different emotions and nostalgia. It is incredible that I am able to be in the position that I am. We both deserved to be in the final. We put on an amazing fight and an amazing show… I would consider it as the [best] week of my life so far.”
Tsitsipas writes a new chapter of his family tennis history 40 years after his mother, Julia Salnikova, who won the junior title in Monaco and have her name engraved in the marble of the prestigious Monte-Carlo Country Club. A great way to conclude a good week of tennis.
The World No. 5 earned €251,085 in prize money as well as 1,000 ATP Ranking points and is now leading the ATP Race to Turin.
“The clay court season couldn’t have started better,” Tsitsipas said. “It is the best thing winning my first Masters 1000 and it is even more special doing it here on home soil in Monte-Carlo and doing it on clay, which is my favourite surface.”
Tournament behind closed doors
Cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic last year, the first tournament of the season on clay, the Rolex Masters of Monte Carlo, lived up to the expectations in a very peculiar situation. Tournament director, Zeljko Franulovic, issued a satisfactory assessment of this edition organized behind closed doors for the first time, in compliance with the guidelines of the prefecture authorities, in order to maximize the players and staff security.
“First I want to sincerely thank the Prince’s Government for its support, with the implementation of a sanitary protocol based on two PCR test centers, which carried out almost 2000 tests since April 2. This logistical support was essential for the smooth running of this 144th edition and required a lot of work beforehand to anticipate, consult and cooperate with the Monegasque and French authorities, the ATP and the MCCC. The tournament’s success is the outcome of those collective efforts, and I am particularly pleased with this,” Franulovic stated.
“On the courts, with the good victory of Stefanos Tsitsipas, a wind of renewal blew on world tennis. We witnessed excellent intergenerational matches. With three players in the quarters, youth left its mark on the tournament. Thanks to their athletic, technical and mental qualities, and thanks to their fearlessness, they were able this week to overcome the experience and mastery of Novak Djokovic (World No. 1) and Rafael Nadal (No. 3). They let themselves be impressed by their elders’ brilliant carrier and succeeded in jostling the hierarchy thanks to their recklessness and aggressiveness on the court.”
