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Jannik Sinner’s relentless run at ATP Masters 1000 tournaments shows no sign of halting after his comprehensive 6-2, 6-4 win against France’s Arthur Fils at the Madrid Open.

This was billed as being a big test for Sinner, as he took on an in-form opponent who confirmed his clay court prowess by winning the Barcelona Open last month.

Yet world No 1 Sinner was in brutally efficient form, as he brushed the Frenchman aside and strengthen his position as the red-hot favourite to win the Madrid Open, next week’s Italian Open and then to clinch his first French Open title in a tournament that gets underway later this month.

“I tried to be very aggressive,” said Sinner. “I felt very comfortable on the return. In the second set, he started to serve better, so it was more difficult.

“I’m very happy about the general performance today. I’m trying to play the best possible tennis, but today was a very good day in the office.”

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“I knew it before the match: He is one of the best players in the world at the moment,” Sinner said of Fils, who is fourth in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin. “I’m very happy that I played against him. He is very good for tennis, for the sport.”

The win against Fils saw Sinner move to the impressive total of 14,000 ATP Ranking points for the first time in his career.

Serbian great Novak Djokovic holds the record for the most ranking points in the history of the men’s game, reaching a total of 16,950 on 6 June 2016.

Second on that list is Rafael Nadal with 15,390 from 2009 and third is Roger Federer, with an estimated total of 15,495 ranking points from November 2006, with that number as an estimate of the points he would have had if he were operating under the current ranking points system that was revamped in 2009.

Carlos Alcaraz reached 13,650 ranking points earlier this year and now Sinner will move past that number after his impressive progress at the Madrid Open.

If he were to win the title in the Spanish capital and go on to lift the Italian Open, the French Open and then go on to defend his Wimbledon title, he would have a shot at overtaking Djokovic’s all-time record.

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Sinner’s win against Fils allowed him to collect his 350th career match win at ATP level. Since the inaugural ATP Tour season in 1990, only Rafael Nadal (429) has achieved the feat in fewer matches than Sinner (438).

In addition, he has now made it through to the final of all nine ATP Masters 1000 tournaments and becomes fourth player to achieve that feat after Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic.

READ NEXT: Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner told they are ‘not in the same bracket’ as Federer, Nadal and Djokovic

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The battle for seedings at the French Open seeding is set to heat up over the next couple of weeks, with several big names on the cusps of missing out on a top 32 ranking for the second major of the tennis year at Roland Garros.

With defending champion Carlos Alcaraz out of the tournament due to a wrist injury, Germany’s Alexander Zverev look set to be the No 2 seed in Paris.

Meanwhile, in the women’s draw, Aryna Sabalenka will be the No 1 seed, with Elena Rybakina leading the bottom half of the draw.

The intrigue over seedings will focus on who will make the cut and 2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu will be one of the players eager to ensure she stays in the top 30 of the rankings if she intends to play at Roland Garros.

Raducanu has not been seen on a tennis court since losing heavily against Amanda Anisimova at the beginning of March, with her continued absence put down to a virus she picked up back in February.

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The Brit was believed to be close to making a return at the Madrid Open, but was forced to pull out once again.

Now she will need to decide whether to compete at the Italian Open in Rome and if she is missing again, she could drop out of the top 32 and miss out on a seeding at Roland Garros.

There has been some concern over Raducanu’s health and fitness amid her long lay-off, with former British No 1 Greg Rusedski urging her to return when the time is right.

“If your preparation on the clay is really good, even if you’re not a natural clay quarter, your results really end up going well on the grass court season,” said Rusedski, on the latest edition of his podcast.

“I always felt that myself. I wasn’t the best clay court player on the planet, but I used that period to get myself stronger, move better, you know, get all those aspects in. So when I came to the grass, it was just so easy.

“So Emma needs to get back on court. You can’t just say, okay, let’s give up clay and let’s just get onto the grass courts. I think you’ve got to get the balance.

“The first thing is get healthy. Get rid of this virus, get to your nutritionist, get your diet right, get your vitamin intake, what you need to get rid of this virus. Because it’s such a shame she hasn’t been able to play it.

“It feels like forever she hasn’t played a tournament. I know she flew out to Madrid. So, you know, fingers crossed she’s ready to go in Rome.”

Another player chasing a seeding for Paris will be Alex Eala, with the Filipina looking to make a lead up the rankings after a slide in March.

Eala’s failure to match her run to the semi-finals of the 2025 Miami Open ensured she would take a dip in the rankings and she is currently at No 42 in the live list.

She would need a strong run in Rome to give herself a chance of a seeding at Roland Garros, with the cut-off date for the seeding positions to be finalised set for May 18.

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READ NEXT: Alex Eala has already taken Emma Raducanu’s position and there could be much more to come

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The 2026 Madrid Open has not been short of surprise results on the women’s side, but how have the WTA Rankings been affected?

The final at the first clay-court WTA 1000 tournament of the season is set, with Mirra Andreeva taking on Marta Kostyuk on Saturday.

Here, we look at who could be the big winners and losers from Madrid when the WTA Rankings are updated next week.

WTA Top 10 before start of Madrid (20 April)

1. Aryna Sabalenka – 10,895
2. Elena Rybakina – 8,500
3. Coco Gauff – 7,279
4. Iga Swiatek – 7,263
5. Jessica Pegula – 6,136
6. Amanda Anisimova – 5,995
7. Elina Svitolina – 3,910
8. Mirra Andreeva – 3,746
9. Jasmine Paolini – 3,722
10. Victoria Mboko – 3,531

World No 1 Aryna Sabalenka was defending 1,000 points as the reigning champion in Madrid, and her quarter-final exit means she has dropped 785 points, taking her total to 10,110.

Elena Rybakina, the world No 2, has increased her points total by 55 to 8,555 after her fourth round result, and this has helped her close the gap to Sabalenka to 1,555 points.

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Coco Gauff has dropped 530 points after her last 16 exit as she was a runner-up in Madrid last year, and this has taken her total to 6,749, which has seen her drop to fourth.

Iga Swiatek has replaced Gauff as the world No 3 despite dropping 325 points after a third round exit as she is now on 6,948 points.

Jessica Pegula remains on 6,136 points in the world No 5 position after falling in the third round, while Amanda Anisimova is still on 5,995 points in sixth spot after she withdrew.

WTA Top 10 in Live Rankings before Madrid Open final (1 May)

1. Aryna Sabalenka – 10,110
2. Elena Rybakina – 8,555
3. Iga Swiatek – 6,948 (+1)
4. Coco Gauff – 6,749 (-1)
5. Jessica Pegula – 6,136
6. Amanda Anisimova – 5,995
7. Mirra Andreeva – 4,181/4,531 (+1)
8. Jasmine Paolini – 3,722 (+1)
9. Elina Svitolina – 3,530 (-2)
10. Victoria Mboko – 3,509

Andreeva’s run to the final in Madrid has increased her points total by 435 to 4,181 and lifted her one place to world No 7. If the 19-year-old Russian secures the title, she will move onto 4,531 points.

Jasmine Paolini remains on 3,722 points after a third round exit, but she has moved up one place to eighth.

Elina Svitolina has fallen two places to world No 9 after her opening match exit saw her drop 380 points, taking her total to 3,530. Victoria Mboko has 3,509 points and remains the world No 10 after losing her first match.

Winners outside the top 10

Kostyuk has jumped six places from 23rd to 17th after reaching the final, and she will go to a new career-high ranking of 15th if she wins the title.

Hailey Baptiste, who upset Sabalenka in the quarter-finals, has made a seven-place surge to her new career-best position of 25th after making her first WTA 1000 semi-final.

Anastasia Potapova’s stunning run to the semi-finals as a lucky loser has lifted her from 56th to 38th.

Former world No 1 Karolina Pliskova has soared 68 places from 195th to 129th after her run to the quarter-finals.

Alex Eala has climbed two spots to 42nd after winning one match before falling in the second round.

Losers outside the top 10

Emma Navarro and Maya Joint both missed the Madrid Open, and they have each dropped six places, falling to 34th and 35th respectively.

Maria Sakkari has suffered a 10-place slide to world No 47 after losing her opening match in the Spanish capital.

Donna Vekic has slipped from 66th to 87th after falling in the opening round of qualifying.

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The post WTA Rankings Winners & Losers Madrid Open: Rybakina closes gap to Sabalenka, Swiatek overtakes Gauff, Eala +2 appeared first on Tennis365.

Jannik Sinner has been told that he will now face a whole new wave of pressure after his big rival Carlos Alcaraz was ruled out of the upcoming Italian Open and the French Open.

Sinner played Alcaraz inn the final of both the Rome tournament and at Roland Garros last year, with the Spaniard coming out on top on both occasions.

Their final in Paris was one of the greatest tennis matches of all-time with Sinner failing to convert two match points in the fourth set before going on to lose a fifth set tie-breaker.

There would have been an expectation that the ‘Big 2’ in men’s tennis would meet again in this year’s Roland Garros final, but Alcaraz’s wrist injury has paused their rivalry for now.

According to former British No 1 Greg Rusedski, Alcaraz’s injury will ensure an even brighter light will be shone on Sinner, as he spoke on an upcoming edition of the Off Court with Greg Rusedski podcast.

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“There’s a lot more pressure and expectation, because I’m saying he’s gonna win the French Open, he’s gonna win Madrid, he’s gonna win Rome, he should win everything he plays now,” said Rusedski, in an exclusive podcast extract on Tennis365.

“Then imagine if Alcaraz doesn’t show up to Wimbledon. Again, the pressure will be on. You should win everything, you should win everything. That’s not easy to manage that expectation and pressure.

“Yes, he’s mentally tough, but all of a sudden you take away his biggest rival and everybody says you should win. The other players are looking like they’re starting to step up as well.

“So far, Jannik has been unbelievable. I’ve been watching him this week. When he is challenged, Janik puts on the afterburners.

“What I’ve noticed this week is the use of the slice short sometimes to bring his opponents in, the willingness to come forward. And he just plays all the time the right shot. Even though he doesn’t always execute it.

“It reminds me of Rafa. Rafa said this wonderful quote in 2019 when he was playing the US Open finals. He said that technically I can miss, but mentally I can’t disappear.

“I think from Rafa’s point of view, that’s what made him so strong. And also from the point of view of Jannik Sinner, that was also his main strength was between the ears. And that’s what makes him so good.”

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Domination from one player is not always the best recipe for interest in any sport, but Rusedski does not believe a Sinner trophy clean sweep in the absence of Alcaraz will be bad for men’s tennis.

“I don’t think it would be bad because it’s history-making,” added Rusedski. “If he wins everything on the board, he will have won all nine Master Series titles and all four Grand Slams if he wins in Paris. That would be amazing.

“There’s very few players that have done that in the history of our sport. So imagine he has all nine Masters and all four majors at such a young age.”

READ NEXT: Carlos Alcaraz: Latest injury rumours suggest a quick return may not be possible

The post Jannik Sinner set to face a new challenge in the absence of Carlos Alcaraz, claims former British No 1 appeared first on Tennis365.

Jannik Sinner is confident that he will “manage” the pain and tiredness following a hectic few months, but he would be wise to take note of Carlos Alcaraz’s injury woes when it comes to pushing too hard.

World No 1 Sinner is on a roll as he has won the first three ATP Masters 1000 trophies in 2026, following his titles at the Indian Wells Open, Madrid Open and Monte Carlo Masters.

And he has continued his winning streak at the Madrid Open as he reached the semi-final with a straight-set win over rising Spanish star Rafael Jodar with his unbeaten run now standing at 21 matches.

Sinner needs two more wins to become the first man to win four consecutive ATP 1000 events – the great Novak Djokovic won five in a row, but he missed one tournament – but the Italian has admitted that he is starting to feel the effects of his recent heroics.

Following a quarter-final exit at the Qatar Open in mid-February, Sinner went on to win six matches in Indian Wells, another six in Miami, five in Monte Carlo and four in Madrid.

His longest break during the run was between Monte Carlo and Madrid as he didn’t compete at the Barcelona Open or the BMW Open in Munich during the second week of April.

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Following his 6-2, 7-6 (7-0) win over Jodar, Sinner stated: “I have played a lot in the last few months. It has been two and a half months where I haven’t had many days off, but at the same time, I try to demand the most from myself to see what I can achieve.

“It will never be easy, but I think I am in a good position, yet I still have a lot to improve. Every day is different; every day you feel differently: sometimes you have pain, sometimes you are tired, nervous, feel pressure… all of that is normal. I try to manage it positively and try to eat well.”

His win over Jodar also helped him to move to 13,750 points in the Live Rankings and if he wins the Madrid Open he will move to 14,350 points, which will keep him on track to break Djokovic’s all-time record of 16,950.

But while adding new records to your collection is always a great achievement, Sinner will be wary of what has happened to Alcaraz in recent weeks.

World No 2 Alcaraz was looking to regain top spot in the ATP Rankings from Sinner as he had a chance to return to No 1 with a title run at the Barcelona Open, but he picked up an injury in the first round and was forced to withdraw from his second-round match.

The seven-time Grand Slam winner admitted after his first-round match at the Barcelona Open that he was tired and he has subsequently ruled out of the Madrid Open, Italian Open and French Open due to a serious wrist injury.

“I’m not afraid to say that maybe this week is the one where I should rest,” Alcaraz said. “We played a Masters 1000 tournament the first week, then we have Madrid and Rome and then Roland Garros.

“This week is the one where I should take a break, but Barcelona is a very special place for me.”

The post Jannik Sinner’s worrying comments similar to Carlos Alcaraz’s remarks before Spaniard’s injury nightmare appeared first on Tennis365.

Jannik Sinner could be on course to claim what appeared to be an untouchable record set by Novak Djokovic over the next few weeks.

Wimbledon champion Sinner returned to the top of the ATP Rankings after his win against Carlos Alcaraz at the Monte Carlo Masters last month, with the wrist injury that has struck down his big rival changing the dynamic at the top of men’s tennis.

The door is now wide open for Sinner to win his first French Open title at Roland Garros next month, which would allow him to win the only major title missing from his collection.

He is also a firm favourite to win the Rome Masters in front of his Italian fans next month and if he can defend his Wimbledon title, in a tournament that may also be lacking Alcaraz’s presence, he could have a record-breaking ranking points total on his record.

Novak Djokovic holds the distinction of having the most ranking points in the history of the men’s game, reaching a total of 16,950 on 6 June 2016.

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Second on that list is Rafael Nadal with 15,390 from 2009 and third is Roger Federer, with an estimated total of 15,495 ranking points from November 2006, with that number as an estimate of the points he would have had if he were operating under the current ranking points system that was revamped in 2009.

Carlos Alcaraz reached 13,650 ranking points earlier this year and now Sinner will move past that number after his impressive progress at the Madrid Open.

If he were to win the title in the Spanish capital and go on to lift the Italian Open, the French Open and then go on to defend his Wimbledon title, he would have a shot at overtaking Djokovic’s all-time record.

Sinner has insisted the points record is not on his mind, as he played down suggestions he could not take total control of the men’s game in the absence of Alcaraz.

“I never take things for granted,” declared Sinner. “I try to understand what’s working very well in certain conditions.

“A good example is Indian Wells and Miami, two completely different conditions. And you come back to the clay, you don’t have a lot of time, but you try to understand what’s working there.

“Then you come here to Madrid, this is a clay court by itself I feel like, very unique conditions. I just try to understand what’s working.

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“This is my motivation. Trying to put myself in the best possible position to win as many matches as possible and that’s it. You know, there are no, there’s no magic.

“You always try to understand what’s working well in every practice session, and trying to do the same thing in the match. The motivation I find by this, you know.”

Sinner has never won the title in Madrid, Rome or at Roland Garros, so he will need to break new ground to continue his winning run, but his recent form suggests it will take a very special performance to stop the world No 1.

READ NEXT: Jannik Sinner moves past Carlos Alcaraz record with another big win at Madrid Open

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The details behind Carlos Alcaraz’s wrist injury have been kept private by the world No 2 and his team, but there are suggestions that his problem could affect his long-term career unless he addresses it now.

Alcaraz was forced to pull out of the Barcelona Open earlier this month after admitting he ‘felt something go’ in his wrist, with his swift decision to confirm he will miss the rest of the clay court season and will not defend his French Open title, highlighting the severity of the issue.

There are also suggestions in Spain that his hopes of playing at Wimbledon are in doubt, with claims that he is suffering from tenosynovitis.

This is an injury Alcaraz’s fellow Spanish tennis legend Rafael Nadal suffered with in his time at the top, with the receptive nature of tennis putting a big strain on the wrist.

The challenge with this issue is that it is not easy to solve and can flare up again if an athlete continues to play when the tendon is already inflamed.

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A period of rest and limited use of the affected area is the best course of treatment, as continuing to play could risk tearing the tendon and that would be a serious injury for Alcaraz to overcome.

Plenty of big names in tennis have been offering words of advice for Alcaraz as he ponders his next move, with former British No 1 Greg Rusedski among those urging the 22-year-old to look at the bigger picture as he considers whether to try and get back on court for the grass court season.

“He’s already won seven majors at such a young age. He has all four Slams already. It’s just incredible what he’s done,” said Rusedski on his podcast.

“This is where the team has managed him correctly, you know, just not putting an expectation, any pressure. He wants to try to be ready for Wimbledon. You know, he lost that tough final last year to [Jannik] Sinner.

“It is a little bit disconcerting because he’s gonna miss Paris, that’s an extra two weeks away, which is a total of four and a half weeks off right now with the injury.

“Is he gonna have enough time three weeks afterwards to get ready for the Wimbledon Championship? Hopefully he will be back for the grass court season, but this puts a lot of things in doubt.

“Fingers crossed by about the second week of Paris, he’s already into his stride. Also, when you’re playing on clay, there are long, drawn out rallies on the grass court. It’s a little bit shorter. It’s a little bit sharper as well.

“It just depends on what the conditions are going to be like in summer. If it’s hot, the ball goes through the air quickly. If it’s going to be a little cooler, it goes a little slower. So Carlos will only come back when he’s 100 % fit and ready to go. And let’s hope.

“He needs to look at the bigger picture. He has a long career ahead of him and he can’t afford to have a wrist problem now that could affect him as it did a player like Juan Martin del Potro, who was never the same after he had a wrist problem.”

Alcaraz may only be 22, but the decisions he takes over the next few weeks could be crucial to his entire career, with a wrist problem one of the big fears for all tennis players.

READ NEXT: Jannik Sinner moves past Carlos Alcaraz record with another big win at Madrid Open

The post Carlos Alcaraz: Latest injury rumours suggest a quick return may not be possible appeared first on Tennis365.

Youngster Rafael Jodar’s Madrid Open fairytale run came to an end in the quarter-final, but he certainly left a mark with world No 1 Jannik Sinner full of praise after their match.

The 19-year-old started the 2026 season at No 168 in the ATP Rankings, but he cracked the top 150 for the first time after the Australian Open before making his top 100 breakthrough after a run to the round of 32 at the Miami Open.

Jodar followed it up with a glorious run at the Grand Prix Hasan II in Morocco when he defeated veteran Marco Trungelliti in his maiden final to win his first ATP Tour singles trophy. And more glory followed at the Barcelona Open as he reached the semi-final to climb into the top 50 for the first time.

The Spaniard proved at the Madrid Open that his recent performances were no fluke as – after earning a wildcard entry – he stunned fifth seed Alex de Minaur and fellow youngster Joao Fonseca to reach the quarter-final.

Facing the in-form Sinner – who has won the first three ATP Masters 1000 events of the year – was never going to be an easy task, but Jodar put up a good fight as it went according to serve until the fifth game of the first set before the Italian secured back-to-back breaks to take the set.

There were no breaks in the second set, but Sinner dominated the tie-breaker and secured a 6-2, 7-6 (7-0) victory and they exchanged words at the net.

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The Italian then paid tribute to Jodar as he wrote “What a player!” on the camera lens after the match, and later in the press conference, he explained what he told the youngster.

“I told him that I wish him the best for the season, to keep working, to keep improving, and that’s all,” he revealed.

Sinner added: “My advice is always to avoid pressure as much as possible. I know there will always be many words on and off the court, but at the end of the day, the player must move forward.

“What he is doing is incredible; I wish him the best, but at the same time, you shouldn’t push too hard because sometimes it gets into your head and it’s very difficult to get rid of.

“He’s a good guy, has a good family behind him, his father is very humble, he has a good bubble that is very beneficial for him.

“I think he will have incredible results in the future. There will always be other younger players in a couple of years, as usual, but he has everything he needs.”

Jodar started the Madrid Open at a career-high No 42 in the rankings and he has surged another eight places to No 34 in the Live Rankings.

But the rising star acknowledges he has to keep his feet on the ground.

“I agree [with Sinner]”, Jodar said. “It’s my first year on Tour, there are a lot of tournaments left this season and many seasons in the future. I have to try to improve and make sure I learn from this.

“I have to try and handle it in the best way possible. Knowing that everyone plays well, these results don’t make me better than I am. Everyone has the desire to win, I have to keep my feet on the ground and be aware that everyone can beat you.”

The post Madrid Open: Jannik Sinner reveals what he told Rafael Jodar at the net after camera message appeared first on Tennis365.

Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz is the highest-profile player who won’t be in action at the Italian Open as he is set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines, while it remains to be seen if six-time winner Novak Djokovic and British No 1 Emma Raducanu will play.

World No 2 Alcaraz sustained a wrist injury during his opening-round match at the Barcelona Open a fortnight ago and withdrew from the ATP 500 tournament ahead of his second-round encounter, but had high hopes of playing at this week’s Madrid Open.

However, scans revealed the injury was more serious than initially thought and he was not only forced to miss his home ATP 1000 event, but has since also been ruled out of the Italian Open and French Open.

Alcaraz is the defending champion in Rome as he defeated local hero and reigning world No 1 Jannik Sinner in last year’s final, but the Italian will now be the clear favourite, especially if Djokovic – who skipped the tournament in 2025 – decides not to enter.

Djokovic has not played any competitive tennis since losing against Jack Draper in the fourth round of the Indian Wells Open on 12 March as he withdrew from the Monte Carlo Masters and Madrid Open, stating he is still nursing an injury.

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If he does indeed play, Djokovic will be seeded third behind Sinner and Alexander Zverev.

World No 7 Taylor Fritz is the other top-10 star who has confirmed he won’t play in Rome as he is struggling with a long-term knee injury and he will be joined on the sidelines by Jack Draper, who is also out with a knee injury.

Draper picked up the injury in Barcelona and will also miss the French Open.

Holger Rune, meanwhile, is still recovering from surgery after he ruptured his Achilles tendon last October.

ATP Italian Open withdrawal list

• Carlos Alcaraz (world No 2) – replaced by Sebastian Ofner
• Taylor Fritz (world No 7) – replaced by Zachary Svajda
• Jack Draper (world No 28) – replaced by Hamad Medjedovic
• Holger Rune (world No 39) – replaced by Damir Dzumhur
• Arthur Cazaux (world No 73) – replaced by Mattia Bellucci
• Kamil Majchrzak (world No 74) – replaced by Roberto Bautista Agut
• Eliot Spizzirri (world No 82) – replaced by James Duckworth

WTA Italian Open withdrawal list

There is better news for Italian Open organisers on the women’s side of the draw as the top-50 players in the official WTA Rankings are all set to feature with no withdrawals so far.

World No 1 Aryna Sabalenka will headline the draw while defending champion and local favourite Jasmine Paolini will also feature along with world No 2 Elena Rybakina, Coco Gauff and Iga Swiatek.

Paolini won her home WTA 1000 event last year when she defeated Gauff in straight sets in the final.

You have to go down to No 55 in the rankings for the first withdrawal with British No 1 Sonay Kartal out with a lower back injury, but there are question marks over the likes of Gauff and Swiatek, who struggled with illness during this week’s Madrid Open.

Meanwhile, 2021 US Open winner Raducanu has not featured on the WTA Tour since losing against Amanda Anisimova in the second round in Indian Wells on 9 March due to a viral infection, while Anisimova missed this week’s Madrid event due to a wrist injury.

• Sonay Kartal (world No 55) – replaced by Zeynep Sonmez
• Varvara Gracheva (world No 60) – replaced by Eva Lys
• Veronika Kudermetova (world No 64) – replaced by Petra Marcinko

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