Alex De Minaur vs Andy Murray Prediction & Betting Tips - ATP Monte Carlo Masters

Prediction published on 10/04/2023, 03:21  by Kennedy Kechula | Modified on 10/04/2023 at 07:22 in Tennis Predictions

14th seeded Alex de Minaur opens his 2023 clay court season with a Monte Carlo Masters first round match against Andy Murray. The winner here will set up a second-round clash with either the qualifier Jan-Lennard Struff or the unseeded Albert Ramos Vinolas. The Australian starts the week ranked 19th in the ATP with the highlight of the season was winning Acapulco which allowed him to return into the top 20. He has however failed to use that momentum to his advantage and was eliminated in his next two tournaments (Indian Wells and Miami Open) in his first match. de Minaur is making his fourth appearance in Monte-Carlo with his best result being reaching the second round last year. This will also be the first match between the two to be played on clay with the previous two meetings taking place on hard courts both indoor and outdoor. De Minaur has the head-to-head advantage having won both matches.

Andy Murray has played in Monte-Carlo nine times before and his best-ever result was making the last four in 2009, 2011 and 2016. He however last played here in 2017  losing in the third round. The veteran Brit, who has 14 Masters 1000 titles to his name, has been on and off the boil this season with his highlight being making the final in Doha where he lost in straight sets to Daniil Medvedev. His topsy-turvy season has seen him drop in and out of the top 50 and he will seek to get back into this bracket as he prepares to take on de Minaur ranked 54th in the live ranking. Murray has rarely played on clay and has only taken to the court three times on the surface in the last six seasons.