Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner are fighting for the world number-one ranking this week in Monte Carlo.
Alcaraz has held the top spot for 22 weeks, but could drop to number two depending on how he and Sinner perform in the principality.
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Both players have made strong starts, as Sinner beat Ugo Humbert, 6-3, 6-0, before Alcaraz took down Sebastian Baez, 6-3, 6-1.
Following his win over Baez, Alcaraz delivered his verdict on the battle for the world number one ranking.
Carlos Alcaraz concedes Jannik Sinner will become world number one
“To be honest, I’m going to lose the number-one of the world,” said Alcaraz.
“I don’t know if it’s going to be in this tournament or the next one.
Carlos Alcaraz concedes Jannik Sinner will become world number one!
Will it happen this week in Monte Carlo?
“I’m defending a bunch of points, it’s going to be really difficult to defend all [of them].
Points Carlos Alcaraz will defend on clay
- Monte Carlo Masters – 1,000 points
- Barcelona Open – 330 points
- Italian Open – 1,000 points
- French Open – 2,000 points
- Total – 4,330 points
“Even if I defend them, Jannik [Sinner] is going to add some points in these tournaments, and he doesn’t have points to defend.
Points Jannik Sinner will defend on clay
- Italian Open – 650 points
- French Open – 1,300 points
- Total – 1,950 points
“I will try to play my best, and let’s see what happens, for me the number one is not in my mind right now, I’m just trying to feel as good as I can on clay.”
Sinner missed the start of last year’s clay-court season due to suspension and therefore has fewer points to defend than Alcaraz in 2026.
Live ATP Rankings
| Rank | Name | Country | Points | Points with Monte Carlo title |
| 1 | Carlos Alcaraz | Spain | 12,690 | 13,590 |
| 2 | Jannik Sinner | Italy | 12,450 | 13,350 |
| 3 | Alexander Zverev | Germany | 5,205 | 6,155 |
| 4 | Novak Djokovic | Serbia | 4,710 | – |
| 5 | Felix Auger-Aliassime | Canada | 4,000 | 4,950 |
Alcaraz is right to say that the chances are, Sinner will return to world number one during the clay season.
Regardless, Alcaraz was pleased with his first clay-court win of the year.
“It’s been almost one year since the last match I played on clay, to be honest, I missed it,” he said.
“I’ve missed getting myself dirty a little bit!
“It’s been a really good start to the tournament for me.
“To be honest, I surprised myself with the level. I thought I was going to play a little bit worse, I would say, but I’m happy with everything I’ve done today.
“Maybe a couple of things that I didn’t do well in the second set, let him get into the match, but overall, happy to play matches again on clay, and happy with today’s match.”
Alcaraz will hope to produce another strong performance when he returns to take on Tomas Martin Etcheverry or Terence Atmane in the third round.
Jamie Murray impressed by ‘focused’ Carlos Alcaraz against Sebastian Baez
During Sky Sports’ post-match coverage, doubles star Jamie Murray delivered his verdict on Alcaraz’s performance.
“Great start to the clay-court season for Carlitos Alcaraz,” he said.
“Very strong performance, very dangerous with the forehand throughout the match, causing a lot of damage.
“[Sebastian] Baez tried to make a fist of it, but it was a bit too late.
“Tougher tests for Carlos to come, but he’s looking focused, that’s for sure.
“A good presence about him on the court, good energy, good focus.
“Wants to keep hold of that number-one ranking.”
Murray continued to praise the seven-time Grand Slam champion.
“Baez might have thought there was maybe a chance to catch him a bit off guard, first match on clay, first match in the tournament,” he said.
“But he [Alcaraz] was on it right from the beginning.
“Did get a bit of a helping hand, I would say, at the start of the match, but a very impressive performance.
“How many times are we going to say that throughout his career?”
Only time will tell what the future holds for Alcaraz, but you certainly won’t want to miss his next match in Monte Carlo.
Alcaraz will return for his third-round match on Thursday.
