Carlos Alcaraz admits he was emotionally affected by desire to dethrone Jannik Sinner from No.1 rankings amid doping ban

Carlos Alcaraz couldn't capitalize much on Jannik Sinner's three-month doping ban as the Italian continues to sit in the No.1 ranking spot.

Carlos Alcaraz admits he was emotionally affected by desire to dethrone Jannik Sinner from No.1 rankings amid doping ban

Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner (Image via X/The Tennis Letter, Bastien Fachan)

The pressure of reclaiming the No.1 position from Jannik Sinner “killed” Carlos Alcaraz. Alcaraz, who is in Barcelona, talked in length about how difficult it was for him to deal with the pressure.

Sinner sits at the top of the rankings table with 9,930 points, while Alcaraz, who went past America’s Ethan Quinn in the second round of the Barcelona Open, has 7,760 points in the live rankings. When Sinner was handed the three-month doping ban by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), it gave an opportunity to Alcaraz to close the rankings gap.

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But the 21-year-old struggled to win titles last month. He participated in two Masters 1000 tournaments in March, losing both. At the Indian Wells, he fell in three sets to eventual winner Jack Draper in the semifinals, while at the Miami Open, he succumed to a defeat against veteran David Goffin in his first match.

I was reminded of this at least once in every press conference. I think [Alexander] Zverev and I were asked a question at every press conference after every match about Sinner not being there and having a chance to reach No.1. It’s normal for them to ask, but then it depends on you how you handle it.

Carlos Alcaraz told Marca

Alcaraz finally laid his hands on a title when he started playing on the clay swing. At the Monte Carlo Masters, the four-time Grand Slam champion dropped the first set against Lorenzo Musetti before making an emphatic comeback to take home his first title in The Principality. This helped him to topple Zverev from the second spot.

In the end, I tried not to pay attention. But emotionally or indirectly, I was affected by the desire to achieve good results to get there. I’ve learned to focus on what’s important and go for it. And the ranking isn’t important right now.

Carlos Alcaraz added

Alcaraz has a chance to close the rankings gap if he wins the Barcelona Open as well as the Madrid Open. Sinner will be making his comeback in May in the second Masters 1000 of the season on clay: the Italian Open.

Carlos Alcaraz predicts who will finish first in the 2025 season

For Carlos Alcaraz, the most important thing for him is to enjoy his matches. If he’s on the right path and is convinced that he has done well, then even if Jannik Sinner is ahead of him, he won’t be disappointed and work toward his next goal. During that interview with Marca, Alcaraz was asked who he thinks will finish first in 2025.

Carlos Alcaraz Barcelona Open 2025
Carlos Alcaraz (via Instagram/ Carlos Alcaraz)

It’s a good question. I don’t know, I think we’re in a good fight. Jannik is ahead, but that’s what I said. I try to focus on what’s really important, and for me, it’s not the ranking. We’re trying to take the importance of winning off our shoulders.

Carlos Alcaraz said

Alcaraz lifted four trophies last year, two of which were the French Open and Wimbledon he lifted by beating Alexander Zverev and Novak Djokovic, respectively. Sinner, on the other hand, ended the season with eight official titles, including the Australian Open and the US Open. The 23-year-old also ended the season as the year-end No.1 player for the first time in his career.

He continued his winning ways this year as in his first tournament (the Australian Open), Sinner defended his title by outclassing Zverev. Sinner has played just the Australian Open so far this season.

Alcaraz, who is playing in his seventh tournament of the season, will meet Laslo Djere in the second round. He holds a 1-0 head-to-head record over the Serbian ace.