Stefanos Tsitsipas is set for another big rankings drop after his woes continued with an opening round defeat to Francisco Cerundolo at the 2026 Monte Carlo Masters.
The Greek, who is a three-time former champion in Monte Carlo, fell to a 7-5, 6-4 loss to world No 19 Cerundolo at the prestigious Masters 1000 tournament.
Tsitsipas led 5-3 in the opening set, but his 27-year-old Argentine opponent won four straight games to turn it around.
In the second set, Tsitsipas battled back to 4-4 having trailed 0-4 — only to lose his serve in the ninth game before Cerundolo sealed the win.
Tsitsipas held an outstanding 22-4 record in Monte Carlo across his seven previous appearances prior to this year’s event, and he had never lost in the first round. He secured the title in 2021, 2022 and 2024, and he had not lost before the quarter-finals since 2019.
Former ATP player Rob Koenig addressed Tsitsipas’ struggles and decline over the past year while commentating on the match for Tennis TV.
“2025, he wins Dubai, but there were definitely some cracks appearing in his game,” said the South African.
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“Of course, it came to defending those points [from his 2024 Monte Carlo title], the ranking drops and after Monte Carlo last year he dropped out of the top 10.
“And he’s been on a slow decline for the last 12 months now. And even at a tournament where he’s had so much success, he just can’t find anything today.”
How does Tsitsipas’ defeat affect his ranking?
Tsitsipas was ranked 48th at the start of Monte Carlo with 995 points, but his opening round exit means he has dropped 180 points after he was a quarter-finalist at last year’s edition of the event.
As a result, Tsitsipas has suffered a significant 16-place drop to world No 64 in the Live ATP Rankings.
This is the latest rankings blow for Tsitsipas, who was ranked 30th in February before losing points he gained in Dubai, Indian Wells and Miami in 2025.
The 27-year-old, who is a two-time Grand Slam finalist, was the world No 8 exactly a year ago when he played the 2025 Monte Carlo Masters.
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