Carlos Alcaraz revealed at the Monte Carlo Masters press conference on Sunday that the pressure to overtake suspended Jannik Sinner as World No. 1 has negatively impacted his performance this season, with his only title in 2025 coming at Rotterdam two months ago.
The 21-year-old Spanish tennis star currently sits at world number three, trailing Sinner by 3,610 points in the rankings.
Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!"A lot of people are asking me, or are telling me, that I have the chance to become number one if Jannik is not playing. So probably that pressure has killed me in some way," Alcaraz said during the press conference.
"I'm not surprised because the people always say that we have to win the tournaments or the top people have to be there all the time playing finals or winning tournaments," he added.
The Monte Carlo Masters marks the beginning of the clay-court season, a surface where Alcaraz has previously excelled, winning the French Open last year and consecutive Madrid Masters titles in 2022 and 2023.
Sinner, the current world number one, received a three-month doping ban in February after testing positive twice for clostebol traces in March last year. The 23-year-old Italian is expected to return at the Rome Open in May.
"I'm just thinking that I'm not able to become number one... in the clay season, even if Jannik is not playing, I don't have the chance to do it," Alcaraz stated. "I think I'm too far from Jannik. So I'm just here and I realise that I don't have to think about it and just go there and play. That's my mindset right now."
The four-time Grand Slam champion has yet to win a match at Monte Carlo, having been eliminated in his 2022 debut and withdrawing from the last two editions.
After receiving a first-round bye, Alcaraz will face either Francisco Cerundolo or Fabio Fognini in his opening match.
Get the latest IPL 2025 updates on Times of India, including match schedules, team squads, points table and IPL live score for CSK, MI, RCB, KKR, SRH, LSG, DC, GT, PBKS, and RR. Don't miss the list of players in the race for IPL Orange Cap and IPL Purple cap. The TOI Sports Desk excels in a myriad of roles that capture the ...
Read MoreThe TOI Sports Desk excels in a myriad of roles that capture the essence of live sporting events and deliver compelling content to readers worldwide.
From running live blogs for India and non-India cricket matches to global spectacles featuring Indian talents, like the Chess World Cup final featuring Praggnanandhaa and the Badminton World Championships semifinal featuring HS Prannoy, our live coverage extends to all mega sporting events. We extensively cover events like the Olympics, Asian Games, Cricket World Cups, FIFA World Cups, and more.
The desk is also adept at writing comprehensive match reports and insightful post-match commentary, complemented by stats-based articles that provide an in-depth analysis of player performances and team dynamics.
We track news wires for key stories, conduct exclusive player interviews in both text and video formats, and file content from print editions and reporters. We keep track of all viral stories, trending topics and produce our own copies on the subjects.
We deliver accurate, engaging, and up-to-the-minute sports content, round the clock.
Read Less
Start a Conversation
Post comment