John Isner left ‘surprised’ after hearing Carlos Alcaraz speak openly about No.1 ranking pressure during Jannik Sinner’s doping ban

Carlos Alcaraz has admitted that the pressure of dethroning Jannik Sinner from the top during the doping ban has killed him.

John Isner left ‘surprised’ after hearing Carlos Alcaraz speak openly about No.1 ranking pressure during Jannik Sinner’s doping ban

Carlos Alcaraz, John Isner, Jannik Sinner (mage via X/Carlos.Alcaraz4K, Wikipedia, The Tennis Letter)

Carlos Alcaraz could not capitalize on Jannik Sinner‘s ban because he was inconsistent since winning the Rotterdam Open. Since then, although he made deep runs, he could not lift a title. He recently lost to David Goffin in the Miami Open first round.

Sinner is serving his three-month doping ban and is not participating in the ongoing Monte Carlo Masters. His ban gave an opportunity to Alcaraz as well as World No.2 Alexander Zverev to dethrone him from the top of the rankings table.

Both Alcaraz and Zverev, however, were unsuccessful. During a recent interview, Alcaraz admitted that the pressure of reclaiming his number one position from the 23-year-old has killed him. John Isner, during the Nothing Major podcast, said that he was very surprised by Alcaraz’s honest admission.

I am surprised to hear him open up like that. I love that he is opening up about it. But as we all know, he and Alexander Zverev have not done themselves any favors during this suspension that Sinner is on right now.

John Isner said

Alcaraz will continue to sit in the third position on the rankings table with 6,730 points in the live rankings, and he won’t be able to reach the top even if he wins the Monte Carlo Masters. Steve Johnson in the podcast too agreed with Isner and thinks players generally keep “that type of stuff within“.

Struggling with his tennis and not doing so well in the Sunshine Double. I like the fact he is opening up and I think being honest about what he is feeling and the pressures he is facing, which we don’t often get from athletes in the media.

Steve Johnson said

Alcaraz chance to replace Zverev as World No.2 as the German shockingly lost to Matteo Berrettini in his Monte Carlo Masters opener. Sinner’s ban will end on May 4 and he will be making his comeback at the Italian Open, which starts on May 7. His return will only make it tough for both Alcaraz and Zverev to remove him from the top.

Carlos Alcaraz makes his feelings known on his second appearance at the Monte Carlo Masters

Carlos Alcaraz has never won the Monte Carlo Masters and he is also playing the tournament for the second time in his career. Last year, as well as in 2023, he did not participate in The Principality because of injuries. And in his maiden Monte Carlo Masters tournament in 2022, he was defeated by Sebastian Korda in his opening round.

Carlos Alcaraz Monte Carlo Masters 2025
Carlos Alcaraz (via Instagram/ Carlos Alcaraz)

Alcaraz said that it’s strange that he has not yet won a title at the Monte Carlo Masters. Before kickstarting his campaign, Alcaraz made his feelings clear on making a second appearance in the tournament.

It’s a tournament that I haven’t played much, I wanted to come back because I feel great here. I still have last year in my mind, when I got injured here, but I’m really excited to train here and prepare for the match.

Carlos Alcaraz said

If Alcaraz reaches the semifinal, he could set up a clash with Casper Ruud, who is a two-time French Open finalist and last year’s runner-up in Monte Carlo. The 21-year-old could set up a blockbuster clash with two-time Monte Carlo Masters champion Novak Djokovic in the final.

The 24-time Grand Slam champion will kickstart his campaign on Wednesday (April 9) against Alejandro Tabilo. If Alcaraz meets Djokovic in the final then this will be their second encounter this season following the Australian Open quarterfinal, where Djokovic defeated the Spaniard in four sets.