By TW Contributing Editor, Rosangel Valenti
Good morning. Today's schedule in Monte Carlo includes the remaining first-round matches, and some second-rounders. We will have our first sight of Novak Djokovic since his second-round defeat in Miami, in the third match of the day on Centre Court. He plays Ivan Ljubicic, who yesterday put an emphatic end to Gustavo Kuerten's career in Monte Carlo.
Andy Murray, who (if the Serb comes through) could be Djokovic's opponent in the third round, has a rematch with Filippo Volandri, last seen at the other end of the court in Hamburg on the day he sustained the wrist injury that kept him off the tour for several months in the middle of last year. At the time he was forced to retire, Murray was ahead in the first set, and looking the likely winner. He now has Alex Corretja in his corner until Roland Garros, along with his "head coach" Miles McLagan, and for this week, also his mother, Judy. Interviewed yesterday for Sky Sports, he didn't give away much about his relationship with Corretja, other than to say that he has been working on improving his movement on clay, especially the timing of his sliding into his shots. After watching Murray's first-round match yesterday against Feliciano Lopez, the one prediction I feel confident in is that at some stage, he will attempt to hit a drop shot.
The other match I'll be making time for is the encounter between Marat Safin and Xavier Malisse. I've been avoiding watching Safin for months, (and haven't sighted Malisse anywhere either), but for me the rest of the schedule doesn't contain any "must sees", and one or two of his recent results, especially in Davis Cup, have reawakened a small sliver of hope in his progress. We will need to wait until tomorrow for the first sight of either Roger Federer or Rafael Nadal. Nadal's first opponent, Mario Ancic, was decided yesterday, while Gilles Simon and Ruben Ramirez-Hidalgo meet today, to decide who will have the honour of facing the world number one on Wednesday.
As always, enjoy today's tennis.