Tennis great Justine Henin has assessed that Carlos Alcaraz was “powerless” in his defeat to Jannik Sinner in the 2026 Monte Carlo Masters final.
Alcaraz was denied a second successive Monte Carlo title as he lost 7-6(5), 6-3 to Sinner at the clay-court ATP Masters 1000 tournament.
It was the first meeting between the dominant duo in 2026, and Sinner’s victory saw him overtake Alcaraz in the rankings to become world No 1 for the first time this year.
The head-to-head is now 10-7 in Alcaraz’s favour, with Sinner having won the last two encounters and three of the last four completed matches.
After the match, Alcaraz said: “We have seen Jannik’s level on clay and I think he’s been improving a lot year by year.
“I think he’s reaching a level on clay that is going to be really dangerous for everybody. I’m not surprised at all, because we could see last year in Roland Garros the level he played. He just played better than me.”
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Speaking to Eurosport France, Henin had some words of caution for Alcaraz as she gave her verdict on the Spaniard’s respect for Sinner.
“Beyond the title slipping away and the No 1 ranking, it’s in the relationship with Jannik that this match can have an impact,” said the Belgian, who won seven Grand Slam titles.
“In Alcaraz’s post-match comments, I sensed respect but also a kind of admiration for the new world No 1.
“Respect him, yes, but we also need to try to find new ways to win. I sensed Alcaraz was powerless, not lost, but powerless in the face of what Sinner is achieving.”
The former world No 1 added: “Of course it’s impressive [what Sinner is achieving], but it might do Alcaraz some good and give him energy on the road to Roland Garros.
“How will he cope psychologically?”
Alcaraz is in action this week at the Barcelona Open — an ATP 500 tournament he is aiming to win for the third time after victories in 2022 and 2023. The 22-year-old was a runner-up at last year’s edition, losing to Holger Rune.
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