Carlos Alcaraz immediately wants the number one back next Sunday: "A relief not to meet Sinner"

Carlos Alcaraz on the hunt for redemption in Barcelona. After losing the Monte Carlo final, the Spanish tennis player immediately turned over a new leaf and flew to Barcelona, where he will participate in the ATP 500 tournament he has already won in 2022 and 2023. The stated goal is to immediately return to number one in the world, immediately wresting the throne from Jannik Sinner, who defeated him in the Principality. Alcaraz in 2025 had been beaten in the final by Holger Rune: in the event of victory he would regain the top spot, as the gap between him and the Blue in the ranking is currently only 170 points.

“To be number one again in Barcelona is an extra motivation,” the seven-time Slam champion told a press conference. It’s a relief not to meet Sinner at every tournament, but he makes me a better player. I certainly won’t miss him this week…,” he said jokingly.

Alcaraz returned to his Monte Carlo defeat: “We have a training plan with aspects to improve. They are not major problems, just small details. And we’ve been working on them since pre-season. I talked with the team, we discussed everything and we all came to the same conclusion.”

The Murcia tennis player emphasized Sinner’s growth on clay: “I’m happy to see Jannik improving. He said the clay court season is not his favorite, and I’m happy because he’s the player who pushes me to improve, makes me stop and think so I can improve, try to beat him, and I’m happy that he’s making great strides on this surface. When we face each other, there is no favorite, regardless of the surface,” are the words reported by Marca.

Sinner unlike his rival will enjoy a week of rest, then decide whether to participate in the Madrid tournament. On the other hand, the presence of both is certain at the Rome Internationals, the tournament that precedes the most anticipated clay court target of the year, Roland Garros.