'Not the way I want to win': Carlos Alcaraz beats injured Lorenzo Musetti in Monte Carlo final
Carlos Alcaraz has defeated Lorenzo Musetti to win the Monte Carlo Masters in a 3-6, 6-1, 6-0 game and take his 18th tour-level victory.
Although the Spaniard has secured six Masters 1000 career titles, this was the first time Alcaraz had lifted the Monte Carlo trophy.
This triumph will elevate the 21-year-old to No. 2 in the world rankings behind currently-banned Jannik Sinner.
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During the match, Musetti looked to be favouring his left-leg and received treatment during the third set to combat the incoming lower body injury.
This was the Italian's first appearance in a Masters 1000 final and towards the end of the match, was struggling to move and keep up with a dominant Alcaraz.
Carlos Alcaraz and Lorenzo Musetti after the final. Getty
“This is not the way I want to win a match, I really feel sorry for him,” said Alcaraz.
“Just really happy to have won the Monte Carlo for the first time.
"It's been a really difficult week, with a lot of difficult situations, I'm really proud of myself how I dealt with everything.”
Musetti broke Alcaraz's serve twice to win the first set, but Alcaraz came back strong with two breaks of his own in the second to even the match.
As the clay season approaches, Alcaraz admitted he will be utilising the mental skills he gained during the last month to improve his mindset going into crucial matches.
"In the next couple of months in this clay season, I will try to just keep going the same way that I approached this tournament and not think about the people talking about expectations," he said.
"I will [listen to] my close people and [when] my team have things to say to me, and that's all that matters to me. I will try to approach the clay season like this."
The match was moved forward by three hours for incoming rain, a match that was Alcaraz's third consecutive clay-court final after winning the French Open and collecting a silver medal at the Paris Olympics last year.
Carlos Alcaraz celebrates with the trophy. Getty
Musetti was next to Alcaraz on the podium at the Paris Olympics, clinching bronze.
He also defeated Australian Alex de Minaur 1-6, 6-4, 7-6 (4) in the semi final of the Monte Carlo tournament.
Alcaraz now joins the exclusive group, that includes his coach Juan Carlos Ferrero and Rafael Nadal, of Spaniards that have won the Monte Carlo Masters.
But when asked about the records that 11-time champion Nadal holds, he was clear that they would be 'impossible to repeat.'
"I have been talking with my team several times to [discuss] what Rafa did on clay," said Alcaraz.
"It is one of the most difficult things to do in sport, or one of the greatest things he has done, not in tennis, in [all] sports, winning the same tournament 11 times, 14 times, tournaments like this one, tournament like Roland Garros."
