Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters tournament officials announced two of the wild-card recipients earlier this week. Former champion Stan Wawrinka and will make his return to the principality along with Matteo Berrettini.
Wawrinka, who is set for his 16th main-draw appearance in Monte-Carlo, lifted the trophy in 2014 — toppling fellow Swiss Roger Federer in the final. The 40-year-old is playing his last season on tour but remains in fine form, recently emerging back inside the top 100 for the first time since 2024. Wawrinka has won six ATP-level matches in 2026.
Berrettini beat Alexander Zverev en route to the Monte-Carlo third round last spring. The Italian is currently ranked 68th in the world, which is good enough to gain entry into most Masters 1000 events but not a smaller one like Monte-Carlo.
This is the only 1000-point tournament on the annual calendar that is not required. Nonetheless, nine of the top 10 players in the world are on the initial entry list. Ben Shelton is the only exception, which is hardly a surprise since most Americans skip Monte-Carlo and prefer to begin their clay-court swings in Houston before heading to Europe for the Madrid Masters.