Blunt Carlos Alcaraz makes 12-word comment with major implications for Jannik Sinner

Carlos Alcaraz has already given himself a reality check after starting his clay-court season with a win. The Spanish superstar is defending thousands of ranking points over the coming weeks after a strong run on the clay last year, which saw him lift three trophies and finish runner-up in Barcelona. It leaves Alcaraz locked in a fierce battle with his greatest rival, Jannik Sinner, for the No. 1 ranking, as Sinner missed the first half of the clay swing in 2025 while serving a suspension.

While the race for the top spot is heating up, Alcaraz himself isn’t getting involved. And after beginning his Monte Carlo Masters title defence with a straight-set victory, he bluntly admitted: “To be honest, I’m gonna lose the No. 1 of the world.”

The top seed in Monaco got off to a fast start, overcoming a very brief wobble in the second set to beat Sebastian Baez 6-1 6-3 in just over an hour. It was a statement performance from Alcaraz, who is under a lot of pressure during this clay swing after winning the Monte Carlo Masters, the Italian Open, and Roland Garros last year.

However, when asked whether he was paying attention to the battle for the No. 1 ranking, Alcaraz replied: “To be honest, I’m gonna lose the No. 1 of the world. I don’t know if it’s going to be in this tournament or the next one.

“I’m defending a bunch of points that it’s going to be really difficult to defend all. Even if I defend them, Jannik is going to add some points in these tournaments that he doesn’t have to defend any points in these tournaments.

“So I will try to play my best, and let’s see what happens. But obviously, of course, for me, the No. 1 is not in my mind right now, I’m just trying to feel the best way or as good as I can on a clay court, and let’s see how it’s going to be, the clay swing.”

Alcaraz had some extra time to prepare for the clay season after suffering a shock early exit at the Miami Open last month. But the 22-year-old surprised even himself with how quickly he came out of the blocks against Baez on Tuesday.

“It’s been almost one year since the last match that I played on clay. To be honest, I missed it. I missed getting my shoes 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,” the reigning champion explained.

“But just happy with everything I’ve done today. Maybe a couple of things that I didn’t do well in the second set. I just let him come again into the match, but overall, just happy to play matches again on clay and happy with today’s match.”

Alcaraz will now face either Tomas Etcheverry or Terence Atmane for a place in the quarter-finals as he looks to defend his crown at the Monte Carlo Country Club. Sinner also got off to a fast start in the Principality, beating Ugo Humbert 6-3 6-0 in 64 minutes.

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