Wawrinka, Thiem Lead ATP Stars In Monte-Carlo Charity Exhibition

Former champion Stan Wawrinka and World No. 5 Dominic Thiem took the role of team captains in a fun-filled charity exhibition, to benefit the Monaco Red Cross, at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters on Saturday.

Alongside Wawrinka on his team of French-speaking players were Lucas Pouille, David Goffin and Daniil Medvedev. BNP Paribas Open champion Thiem was joined by Stefanos Tsitsipas and Karen Khachanov.

Team Stan and Team Dominic contested a Match Tie-break which featured a variety of interesting rule changes. After Pouille and Dimitrov were eliminated in the early stages, a series of two-on-one points took place before Tsitsipas and Medvedev were forced to play left-handed on Court Rainier III.

Perhaps due to his experience of playing left-handed at a young age, Tsitsipas managed to get the better of Medvedev in an extended rally. But that would not be enough for his team, which fell to a 10-7 defeat.

With two-handed backhands banned on match point, David Goffin overcame Karen Khachanov to claim victory for Wawrinka’s team.

Goffin also played a crucial role in the target-based skills game that followed. With players aiming to hit three targets with just three service attempts, Goffin secured a 3-0 win for Team Stan. The 2017 Nitto ATP Finals runner-up was the only player to strike any of the targets.