FAA still stuck?

Very weak performance in Monte Carlo from the Canadian, what's going on?

It’s a mix between some really rough draws (Zverev twice and then a ton of Italians) and conditions that don’t suit his playing style very well: it’s slow and the bounce isn’t incredibly high, he’s had better. He’s still coming in with a lot of confidence given his start to the year and he’s just won the Nîmes UTS, nothing crazy but it’s worth noting. I think he’s capable of doing well on this clay despite his poor record in Monaco, and that starts with a first round against Cilic!

The Croatian beat the qualifier Shevchenko, who was in great form, and he was mainly very clinical/clutch: the match could have swung several times, but each time he tightened up his game when he needed to, he got it done with experience. He’s still very strong this season and dangerous! He’s already made two quarterfinals in Monte Carlo, but it’s nothing amazing either, it’s slow and the conditions aren’t necessarily ideal for him… I also want to see how he does on Center Court, because today he was on the tiny Court 9 where it’s almost impossible to stand far back on the return.

In terms of the head-to-head it’s a balanced 3–3, but FAA has won the last two matches, including two victories in 2025. This is finally a decent draw for Felix, not a gift by any means, but with a good level and focus he’s supposed to win it and not get caught out like Shevy, for example.