Monte Carlo is the first Masters 1000 tournament on clay.  Several players are either injured or have elected not to play.  Specifically Roger Federer (skipping), Juan Martin del Potro (injured), Nikolay Davydenko (injured), Andy Roddick (skipping).  Indeed, no Americans appear to be in the draw.

All the seeds moved on.  Juan Carlos Ferrero, seeded 9th, beat Marcel Granollers in straight sets.  Tomas Berdych, seeded 10th, beat Feliciano Lopez in straight sets.  David Ferrer, seeded 11th, beat Peter Luczak in straight sets.  Juan Monaco, seeded 14th, beat Jarkko Nieminen.

Monte Carlo is also the first tournament for Ernests Gulbis since losing in the first round of Indian Wells to Nikolay Davydenko.  He won easily in straight sets over Swiss, Marco Chiudinelli.

David Nalbandian had an easy straight set win over Andreas Beck.  Benjamin Becker had an easy win over wildcard, Bernard Tomic.  Philipp Kohlschreiber needed three sets to beat Brazilian, Thomaz Bellucci.  Kohlschreiber will play Andy Murray in the 2nd round.  Murray had a bye in the 1st round.

Richard Gasquet needed three sets to beat Daniel Gimeno-Traver.

Novak Djokovic announced that he was no longer working with Todd Martin, who was hired as a second coach.  He said the two are parting on good terms, but that having two coaches with two different styles was splitting his focus.