Carlos Alcaraz insists he has accepted that he will lose the world No 1 ranking to Jannik Sinner in the coming weeks, but says he will “push” hard to regain top spot from his big rival.
The Spaniard has been top of the ATP Rankings for the last 22 weeks as he overtook Sinner last October, but he is a man under pressure at this week’s Monte Carlo Masters as the Italian is hot on his heels.
Alcaraz started this week with a 1,190-point lead over the world No 2, but he then dropped 1,000 points as he is the defending champion in the Principality, while Sinner doesn’t have any points to defend after missing the tournament last year.
It effectively means he is just 190 points ahead of the four-time Grand Slam winner and if Sinner outperforms him in Monte Carlo, he will reclaim the No 1 spot.
After starting his title defence with victory over Sebastian Baez, Alcaraz told the media: “To be honest, I’m going to lose the number one of the world. I don’t know if it’s going to be in this tournament or in the next one.
“I defend a bunch of points that are going to be really difficult to defend all.”
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Some were surprised by his comments, but the seven-time Grand Slam winner knows he has a mountain to climb as he is also defending 325 points at next week’s Barcelona Open and another 1,000 points at the Italian Open while Sinner only has 650 points to defend in Rome.
When asked by Eurosport France about his remarks, he replied: “Getting back to Jannik and the world number one ranking, I saw that my statement caused a stir. But I mean it.
“He has several important tournaments coming up where he can earn a lot of points. I have to defend some, and I can’t defend them all. It’s going to be tough, but that’s also what makes our rivalry so exciting.
“He’s going to become world No 1 again, and I’m going to push him as far as I can to take that spot back. This battle for the top spot has been fantastic so far.”
Alcaraz was also asked about areas of his game that he has improved since he won the Australian Open in January.
“If I have to single out one in particular, it’s my serve. I’ve already invested a lot of time in that aspect, not only on the court but also off it,” he explained.
“How to improve my movement, my throw, my technique, my feel. I’ve worked on it a lot; for me, it’s crucial to visualise it both on and off the court.”
His main target at the start of the 2026 season was to win the season-opening Grand Slam at Melbourne Park to complete his Career Grand Slam and now that it has been ticked off the list, it’s about setting new objectives.
The 22-year-old added: “I’ve understood something for some time: when you reach a seasonal goal, you have to take the time to enjoy it. But at the same time, it immediately forces you to start from scratch, to set new short-term goals.
“What I have in mind, very clearly, are the Grand Slam tournaments. I still have three scheduled this year. So I’ve already shifted my attention to preparing for Roland Garros. It’s a fantastic tournament, I love playing it, so I can’t wait.”
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