Alexander Zverev Puts Carlos Alcaraz Above Jannik Sinner on Clay

The Italian Open is underway, but defending champion Carlos Alcaraz is not competing due to a wrist injury he suffered during the Barcelona Open. In his absence, World No.1 Jannik Sinner is competing as the heavy favorite.

Sinner is aiming to complete the Career Golden Masters. The last time he lost a match in a Masters 1000 event was in the third round of last year’s Shanghai Masters, and since then, he has clinched the 2025 Paris Masters and this year’s Indian Wells Masters, Miami Open, Monte-Carlo Masters, and the Madrid Open.

In Madrid, Sinner breezed past Alexander Zverev, registering his ninth consecutive win over him to take a 10-4 head-to-head lead. Zverev, at the press conference after his third-round win over Alexander Blockx, said Alcaraz is either at the same level as Sinner or superior to him on clay, given that the World No.2 is a two-time defending champion at Roland Garros.

The biggest difference due to Carlos’ absence is probably for Jannik because right now, he is clearly the top favorite. Carlos on clay, when healthy, is at the same level or even above Jannik in terms of favoritism, especially at Roland Garros after winning there twice. For me, the important thing is to focus on things I can control and try to improve to beat Jannik. But before thinking about a possible final, you have to win the previous six matches first.

Zverev and Sinner met four times already today. Before the Madrid Open final, they faced each other in the semifinals of the Indian Wells, Miami Open, and the Monte-Carlo Masters. Alcaraz had 4,300 points to defend on clay this year. He lost his No.1 ranking to the four-time Grand Slam champion after losing the Monte Carlo final.

In his absence, Sinner has the golden opportunity to continue to increase the rankings gap between him and Alcaraz. Sinner finished as the runner-up in Rome and Paris last year.

Zverev, on the other hand, has yet to win a title since the 2025 Munich Open. The three-time Major finalist, also a two-time champion in the Italian capital, will next be up against Luciano Darderi.

Simone Vagnozzi shares why Jannik Sinner decided to play both in Madrid and Rome

Jannik Sinner has been playing non-stop tennis since the Indian Wells Masters. There was uncertainty around Sinner’s participation at the Madrid Open after he won the Sunshine Double events and the Monte-Carlo Masters.

But he chose to play in the Spanish capital and also in his home tournament. His coach, Simone Vagnozzi, explained why Sinner did not take a break.

At the start of the season, we set up a tentative schedule and kept the option to play in Madrid undecided. After winning in Monte Carlo, Jannik informed us that he was feeling good physically, and considering the confidence with which he was playing, we decided to participate.

Simone Vagnozzi told Sky Sports

Sinner breezed past Sebastian Ofner in the opening round to schedule his next match against Alexei Popyrin. He has already scripted history by winning the Monte Carlo event, becoming the second man after Novak Djokovic to win the first three Masters 1000s of the season. His win in Madrid made him the first man to win the first four Masters 1000s of the season.

Sinner is chasing the 10th Masters 1000 title of his career. If he completes the Career Golden Masters, he will become the second man, after Djokovic, to achieve this. He is on a 29-match winning streak in Masters 1000s and will surpass Djokovic’s record of 31-match winning streak in this level if he wins three more matches.

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