Jannik Sinner claims ‘It’s not one tournament that will define No. 1’ battle with Carlos Alcaraz

Jannik Sinner

Sinner claims ‘It’s not one tournament that will define No. 1’ battle with Alcaraz

Italian has the chance to reclaim World No. 1 from Alcaraz in Monte-Carlo

Sébastien Darrasse / Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters

Jannik Sinner trains ahead of the 2026 Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters. By Jerome Coombe

Jannik Sinner has the chance to reclaim the World No. 1 spot from Carlos Alcaraz at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters this week, and the Italian is firmly in control of his own destiny after a dominant run through March.

Following his quarter-final defeat to Jakub Mensik in Doha, Sinner arrived in Indian Wells early and quickly adapted to the hot conditions, going on to complete the ‘Sunshine Double’ without dropping a set. Ahead of the first clay Masters 1000 tournament of the season in Monaco, the World No. 2 was asked whether that preparation would translate to a new surface.

“We did a lot of work in Indian Wells, and obviously the work continues,” Sinner said. “It’s a different surface, we all know that it’s a bit more physical on clay, but last year I played some good tennis on this surface, so let’s see what’s coming this year.

“I feel like it helped me a lot in Indian Wells to get through very long sessions under the heat. I also didn’t struggle at the [2025] US Open in that regard, but more questions are going to be answered on this surface because matches might be a little bit longer. I personally like to play on clay. It’s not my favourite surface, but I do believe that I can play some good tennis too.”

After falling to rival Alcaraz in the US Open final last year, Sinner relinquished the No. 1 spot in the PIF ATP Rankings to the Spaniard. However, by becoming just the eighth man in history to complete the ‘Sunshine Double’ with his runs through Indian Wells and Miami, the Italian has put himself in position to return to the summit at the conclusion of the Monte-Carlo event.

The equation is simple: win the title, and Sinner is guaranteed to climb back to No. 1 regardless of Alcaraz’s result in the Principality. Sinner is a two-time semi-finalist in Monaco, while Alcaraz arrives as the defending champion after lifting the trophy last year.

Although Sinner is aware of the permutations, he remains focused on the bigger picture, knowing the clay swing offers multiple opportunities to apply pressure on Alcaraz, who went 22-1 on the surface last season, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index.

“I know the position, the situation and the scenarios, but it’s not one tournament that will define who’s No. 1 or No. 2,” Sinner said. “It’s a tournament that I love to play and I’m happy to be here. I will try to win as many matches as possible but at the same time, there are even more tournaments coming up.

“When you are a top player, you aim to win trophies. The points are regardless, in a way. I watch the [PIF ATP Live] Race To Turin, because there you can see how someone is playing during the year.”

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Just 50 points separate first-placed Alcaraz and second-placed Sinner in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin, underlining how finely poised the battle for ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by PIF honours remains. The 22-year-old Alcaraz became the youngest man to complete the Career Grand Slam at the Australian Open in January, before Sinner responded with a stunning stretch across the ‘Sunshine Double’ tournaments.

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