Carlos Alcaraz’s Coach Samuel Lopez Opens Up on the Possibility of the Spaniard losing No.1 to Jannik Sinner

For the first time in nine years, a man (Jannik Sinner) completed the Sunshine Doubles (winning the Indian Wells and Miami Open). The Italian star has now closed the gap between him and Carlos Alcaraz in the ATP rankings. Alcaraz’s coach Samuel Lopez has admitted that the Spaniard is open to losing his place at the top of the men’s rankings.

For the second straight season, Alcaraz has struggled in March. He fell in the semi-finals of the Indian Wells and the third round of the Miami Open. Meanwhile, Sinner, who had zero points to defend in the Sunshine Double as he did not compete in either tournament last year due to his three-month ban, has won the ATP Masters 1000 in California and Florida.

Throughout March, reporters repeatedly asked Sinner about the possibility of catching Alcaraz in the ATP rankings, but the four-time Grand Slam champion deflected. Instead, he kept emphasizing staying focused on the present and improving his game as the tournament progressed.

However, after today’s updated ATP rankings, Sinner must be forced to look at the possibility of overtaking Alcaraz. Though Alcaraz remains World No 1 with 13,590 points in the ATP rankings, Sinner sits as World No.2 with 12,400 points after picking 2,000 points in March. In the Race to Turin, Alcaraz holds a narrow 50-point lead over Sinner (2,950 to 2,900).

There’s a possibility that if Sinner wins the Monte Carlo Masters and Alcaraz reaches the final, the Italian star would reclaim the World No.1 position. During an interview with Eurosport Spain, Alcaraz’s coach Lopez admitted that the Australian Open champion understands that he might lose his top position but he’s more focused on his game on the court:

Yes, it’s something we have to talk about again. It’s something that is talked about, but yes. I think he understands that it can happen, and that it’s not a drama.It’s already happened to him before. In the end, being No. 1, No. 4… what matters is that you see that you’re evolving, that you’re ready for the big moments and able to keep adding titles. No. 1 is a consequence of consistency over the whole year. This is a long-distance race.

However, Alcaraz has an 82 percent winning rate on the clay court, more than 11 percent above Sinner on the surface. Alcaraz has won a clay title every season since 2020, while Sinner has not won one since 2022. Of course, Alcaraz looks favorite to hold on to the World No.1, but tennis is an unpredictable sport.

Carlos Alcaraz to play in five clay-court tournaments

Last year, Carlos Alcaraz took part in four clay tournaments, winning three of them and finishing as runner-up in just one. He missed the Madrid Open due to an injury he sustained at the Barcelona Open final against Holger Rune. He looks set to defend all the points in the four tournaments and play in Madrid this season.

He will defend over 4,300 points on the clay court this season. During the aforementioned interview, Samuel Lopez revealed that if Alcaraz had reached the final or won the Miami Open, he would have withdrawn from the Monte Carlo Masters, but following his poor run at the tournament, he’s focused on playing five clay-court events:

Let’s see, in principle we’re going with the idea of playing everything, of playing the whole swing, you know. Monte Carlo—if things had gone well, if things had gone better in Miami—we would probably have skipped it. But in this case, well, Monte Carlo is going to be more of a preparation tournament.

Alcaraz will face a tough task defending three tournaments in the next two months, including the French Open. He has won the French Open two times already and should he defend, he will be setting the same standards as his idol Rafael Nadal. But the Spaniard needs to first win the Monte Carlo Masters.

Also Read: Jannik Sinner Remains Tight-Lipped on the World No.1 Battle With Carlos Alcaraz Heading Into the Clay Season

Subscribe to our Newsletter

Join our newsletter to receive exclusive updates and curated insights directly to your inbox.

Subscribe NOW