Jannik Sinner has been in stunning form and is coming off a Sunshine Double. On the other hand, Carlos Alcarza has seen some early exits recently as his performance has not been up to the mark. Meanwhile, amid this, the Spaniard believed that his tennis rival could overtake him in the ATP Ranking during the ongoing clay season.
Alcazar has stated that he is likely to relinquish the World No. 1 ranking to Sinner in the coming weeks as the 2026 clay-court season begins at the Rolex Monte Carlo Masters. The defending champion faces the challenge of protecting a large number of points earned from a strong 2025 run, while the Italian has zero points to defend in the early clay Masters events.
Alcaraz expects to lose World No. 1 ranking to Sinner during clay season
Alcaraz told ATP interviewers courtside:
"To be honest, I'm going to lose the number 1."
The seven-time Grand Slam champion added:
"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 really difficult to defend."
The Spanish star continued that even strong performances this week would leave Sinner, who can only gain ranking points, in a strong position to overtake him. Alcaraz stressed that the ranking is not his priority. He said:
“It is going to be really difficult to defend all the points, and even if I do, Jannik is going to add some points in this tournament.”
The comments came after both players opened their Monte Carlo campaigns with straight-set victories on Tuesday, heightening anticipation for their duel at the top of the rankings. Sinner, fresh off winning the Indian Wells-Miami Open Sunshine Double, is positioned to reclaim the top spot he held for much of late 2025, with scenarios that could see him rise as early as this week if results align.
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