Djokovic, Sinner cannot clash in Monte Carlo before final

MONTE CARLO - Serbia's Novak Djokovic, the world number one in men's tennis singles, was on Friday drawn to face the winner of the tie between Roman Safiulin and a qualifier in the Monte Carlo Masters second round and could play Carlos Alcaraz in the potential semi-finals and Jannik Sinner or Daniil Medvedev in the potential final.

Djokovic, who has won two titles in Monte Carlo, will be seeded in the opening round.

He will likely play Taylor Fritz and reigning champion Andrey Rublev in potential third- and fourth-round matches, respectively.

Alcaraz, who potentially awaits Djokovic in the semi-finals, and Medvedev and Sinner - one of whom the Serbian could face in the final - are top favourites in the other half of the draw.

Djokovic's compatriots Miomir Kecmanovic and Laslo Djere will play Matteo Berrettini and Stefanos Tsitsipas, respectively, in the first round.