Jannik Sinner has put the pressure firmly on Carlos Alcaraz in the battle for the No 1 spot in the rankings by winning the Sunshine Double.
Alcaraz has been top of the ATP Rankings since last November, but he will face an uphill battle to keep hold of the No 1 position at the Monte Carlo Masters following Sinner’s unblemished run during the North American hard-court swing.
The Spaniard had a 3,150-point lead at the start of the Indian Wells Open, but his Italian rival was always going to be able to close the gap as he had a “free hit” as he didn’t have any points to defend as he was banned 12 months ago.
With Alcaraz losing in the semi-final in Indian Wells and the third round in Miami, coupled with Sinner winning both tournaments, the lead is down to just 1,190 points.
While Sinner earned a maximum of 2,000 points, Alcaraz picked up only 40 points as he was defending 400 in California and earned the same amount after losing in the last four against Daniil Medvedev while he defended 10 points from 2025 in Miami, but earned 50 points.
What Is To Come
Up next is the Monte Carlo Masters with both in the main draw, but Sinner will once again have a leg up on his rival.
The Italian didn’t play on the red dirt in Monaco 12 months ago as he was still serving his three-month ban so he will once again not have any points to defend.
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Alcaraz, meanwhile, won the Monte Carlo event last year, so will drop 1,000 points at the start of the tournament and once that total is removed, he will be on 12,590 with Sinner on 12,400, putting the Spaniard ahead by a mere 190 points.
It means Alcaraz will remain top if he outperforms Sinner, but the Italian will move ahead of the six-time Grand Slam winner if he, for example, reaches the semi-final and the Spaniard loses in the quarter-final.
Form And Clay Performances
Sinner is also in better form as he didn’t drop serve once during his Sunshine Double, while he has now won 34 consecutive sets at ATP Masters 1000 level with his record starting at the 2025 Paris Masters.
Alcaraz, of course, started the year with back-to-back titles at the Australian Open and Qatar Open, but is 1-2 in his last three matches after his semi-final loss in Indian Wells and third-round defeat in Miami.
However, Alcaraz is the man to beat on clay as he was 22–1 last year, winning the Monte Carlo Masters, Italian Open and French Open while he also finished runner-up in Barcelona.
Sinner has won only one title on clay and that was in 2022 although he finished runner-up to Alcaraz in Rome and at Roland Garros last year in the two tournaments he did play on the red dirt.
The post ATP Rankings: Could Jannik Sinner replace Carlos Alcaraz at No 1 after Monte Carlo Masters? appeared first on Tennis365.
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