Stefanos Tsitsipas defended his Monte Carlo Masters title with a 6-3, 7-6 victory against unseeded Alejandro Davidovich Fokina on Sunday.

“It’s a great feeling because we had the crowd this year,” the third-seeded Greek said after winning the first big final of the clay-court season. “It was a bit more lively than last year.”

Tsitsipas won the first set despite conceding an early break. Spaniard Davidovic Fokina overcame an early break in the second and broke twice.

Tsitsipas squandered a chance to serve out the match at 5-4 but still wrapped up the final in one hour, 34 minutes.

“I am very proud of myself,” Tsitsipas said. “Things weren’t going well at one point, but I managed to stay composed.”

The 23-year-old Tsitsipas reached the semi-finals of the Australian Open in January.

As well as knocking out Djokovic, Davidovich Fokina also beat Indian Wells champion Taylor Fritz in the quarter-finals and Grigor Dimitrov in the semi-finals.

“It was an amazing experience,” the 22-year-old said, adding that his fine run had increased his confidence for the rest of the season.

“I don’t know if I will win another match, but I will be focused on every point, every game,” he said.

Tsitsipas was delighted by the rowdy crowd, after the coronavirus meant the 2020 edition was cancelled and the 2021 tournament held without fans.

“It’s much more nerve-racking to have people involved, you have the fans yelling and chanting, but it was a great way to top it off with lots of fighting in the end,” he said.

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