Tennis fans are still buzzing over Jannik Sinner’s Sunshine Double heroics — but there’s no pause in the calendar. The 2026 clay-court swing is already underway, and the Italian has picked up right where he left off, extending his Masters 1000 streak at the Monte-Carlo Masters.
For Carlos Alcaraz, Sinner is breathing down his neck, with the World No. 1 spot up for grabs at the tournament. The Spaniard, too, has made a strong start, but he’s made peace with the fact that he may be losing the top ranking during the clay swing.
Carlos Alcaraz Addresses Jannik Sinner Threat As Monte-Carlo Run Begins
Sinner is on an unprecedented streak at Masters 1000 events. During the Miami Open, he surpassed Novak Djokovic’s 24-set winning streak, creating his own record of 34 straight sets won at the level by the end of the tournament. The Italian has now extended his record to 36 sets after a clinical performance against France’s Ugo Humbert (6-3, 6-0) in his first match at the Monte-Carlo Masters.
Sinner has no points to lose during the week – he missed the tournament last year. Contrastingly, Alcaraz, the defending champion, has 1000 points at stake. The duo have begun their title pursuit, with a mere 190-point gap. A deep run would solidify the Italian’s chances of regaining his World No. 1 ranking, and his rival is fully aware of it.
The Spaniard started his title defense with a convincing 6-1, 6-3 win against Sebastian Baez on Tuesday but acknowledged that the rankings race may be beyond his control. “To be honest, I’m gonna lose No. 1 in the world. I don’t know whether it is going to be in this tournament or the next one.”
Alcaraz is defending 4,330 points in total on the surface. He won three titles last year – the Monte-Carlo Masters, the Italian Open, and the French Open. He also collected the runner-up trophy at the Barcelona Open.
Sinner, meanwhile, has no points to defend until Rome. He contested two clay-court tournaments in 2025, accumulating 1950 ranking points in total.
“I’m just defending a bunch of points. It’s going to be really difficult to defend all. Even though I defend them, Jannik is going to add some points in this tournament. He doesn’t have to defend any points in these tournaments,” Alcaraz said during his on-court interview.
He also clarified that ranking is secondary to him during the swing. “So I will try to play my best, and let’s see what happens. But of course, for me, the No. 1 of the sport is not in my mind right now. I’m just trying to feel the best way or as good as I can on the clay court, and let’s see how it’s going to be during the clay swing.”
Alcaraz and Sinner have advanced to the Round of 16 at the Monte-Carlo Masters. The Spaniard faces the winner of Tomás Martín Etcheverry vs. Terence Atmane next. The Italian’s next opponent will be either Francisco Cerundolo or Tomáš Macháč.
