Maria Esther Bueno heads for the commentary box as the 1000 Masters Series tournament in Monte Carlo draws towards its conclusion this coming weekend and the Rio Olympics start building up for the summer.

“It has kicked off with the biggest upset imaginable – defending champion and world number one Novak Djokovic suffering his earliest tournament defeat for three years on a day that also saw Tomas Berdych go out!” Maria Esther said after 55th-ranked Czech Jiri Vesely beat him in the second round of the Masters tournament on Wednesday, 6-4 2-6 6-4, in what was the pair’s first ever match.

“Djokovic has been tightening his grip in recent months, winning nine of his last 10 tournaments, and the only blip in that run came when he retired against [Feliciano] Lopez in Dubai because of an eye problem.”

Wednesday’s defeat was Djokovic’s earliest on the tour since he lost in the second round of the Madrid Open in 2013, and is a significant blemish in his preparations for May’s French Open, the only Grand Slam to have eluded the 11 times major winner.

“It is always great when the men get back onto the red clay,” Maria continued. “The game becomes very tactical and physical and so it gets even more interesting to see who has the mental strength and conditioning to win through.

“With Djokovic out this week and Rafa [Nadal] seemingly regaining his feel for winning matches, it is getting all the more interesting.

“They don’t call Rafa the King of Clay for nothing and I think we will see him getting more comfortable playing on the run up to Roland Garros.”

“He made the semis in Buenos Aires and Rio but lost in both, not looking like he really knew what he was doing, but he seems to have overcome that now, although the draws are getting tougher for him, especially as players are beginning to think he can be beaten.”

Nadal started the year winning Mubadala Title defeating Milos Raonic and reached the final in Doha, Qatar, where he lost to Djokovic in straight sets in their 47th match. He lost to him again in the semi-finals of Indian Wells taking his loss tally to the Serb to 25.

At the Australian Open, Nadal was defeated in five sets by compatriot Fernando Verdasco in the first round, in a match that echoed memories of their marathon five-set semi-final from 2009. That defeat marked just his second first round exit from a Grand Slam tournament, and his first at the Australian Open.

In Miami Nadal retired in the third set of his second round match, citing dizziness due to the extreme heat at the end of the first set.

“He seems to have recovered well and was lucky to be in Andy Murray’s half of the draw rather than in Dojovic’s, until now! Especially since Murray seems to be struggling with the clay a bit.

“Roger [Federer] is back playing his first tournament since having surgery on his left knee. It was keyhole surgery but it has kept him out for two-and-a-half months after he failed to play in Miami because of illness.

“He didn’t look at all rusty in his first match in Monte Carlo and he was playing really well to reach the final of the Australian Open in January, so he must still be considered a contender on the clay.”

Federer is a four-time finalist in Monte Carlo and it is a title he would dearly love to add to his resume.

“With Murray looking to find form on the clay it is down to these three, I think, now that Djokovic is out of the running, at least for this week.”

A Kids Clinic at Harmonia

Maria Esther Bueno loves to spend time with the coaches and the kids they are teaching at her home club of Sociedade Harmonia de Tênis in Sao Paulo.

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“I often have a hit with them or go over to the coaching courts to watch them teach, so when they ask me to help out is some way, I’m always happy to do so,” she told her website.

“On Monday I sat down with a bunch of them to give a talk on playing and my career and we kept it light and fun!

“The kids seemed to enjoy it and that’s what really matters.

“They watch me with the pros everyday and really enjoy a laugh with us.

“One of our juniors, Lucas Koelle, is going to Paris to try and play at the juniors at Roland Garros. He will be playing the Rendezvous at Roland Garros next week from 20-21April and we wish him best of luck.”

Olympic Torch lit in Greece

“It is getting exciting with the Olympic torch about to be lit in Greece,” says Maria Esther Bueno, one of Bradesco’s Torch Ambassadors ahead of Rio 2016.

World champion gymnast Eleftherios Petrounias of Greece is to be the first Torchbearer for the Relay of this year’s Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

The 25-year-old will receive the flame from Greek actress Katarina Lehou, in her role as High Priestess of the Goddess Hera, at the stadium in Ancient Olympia on 21 April.

As tradition dictates, Petrounias will take pause briefly with the flame at the monument in salute to Baron Pierre de Coubertin, the Frenchman who revived the Olympics and is considered the father of the modern Games, and then will hand the flame to two-time Olympic champion and four-time volleyball Olympian Giovane Gávio, the first Brazilian in the 2016 Torch Relay.

Gávio will have happy memories of his previous time in Greece when he won the second of his Olympic gold medals at Athens 2004. He will also become the second Brazilian volleyball player to carry the flame in Olympia – Rio 2016 President Carlos Nuzman was a Torchbearer along the same stretch of road in 2012 and will be present along with International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach at the lighting ceremony.

Organisers revealed last month that the Olympic flame will visit Zakynthos, Corfu and the historic town of Marathon as part of a Greek odyssey before it is entrusted to Rio 2016.

Nuzman opened the IOC final Coordination Commission inspection visit to Rio on Tuesday.

The meeting, which was attended by all 17 members of the IOC panel, began with a series of site visits that included the opening of the Main Press Centre in the Olympic Park in Barra de Tijuca.

“The Games are ready – this is not a dream or a Brazilian way to hide reality,” Nuzman told the IOC in his opening speech. “There is no complacency. We know exactly what we need over the next months. We also know how much it costs.

“Right now Rio is the capital of the Olympic world – thanks to the Games we have a transformed city. Brazil is catching the Olympic fever.

“Thanks to sport, the country is engaging with a positive agenda. This is very strong despite the complexity of the political and economic scenario.”

Maria Esther tries to stay well clear of politics and simply says: “Brazil will do a great job with the Olympics in spite of everything that is going on. We always do!”

Next week she will be filming an appearance for a video for Bradesco, one of the main sponsors or the Torch Relay, which will be aired in 84 cities across Brazil to promote the arrival of the flame each night to ‘sleep’ ahead the next leg of its tour across the country.

“Bradesco are creating a 20-minute stage show to welcome the last torch bearer of each day as part of the Relay celebrations, and for sure it will be quite a party for the public in every city,” explains Maria Esther.

“I am so thrilled to be playing a part in this!”