Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner were both tricked into analyzing a misleading report about João Fonseca’s comments at the 2026 Monte-Carlo Masters. The mix-up occurred after all three players booked their spots in the quarterfinals of the ATP Masters 1000 event.
Alcaraz engaged in a tough battle with Tomás Martín Etcheverry, beating the Argentine 6-1, 4-6, 6-3. Meanwhile, Sinner’s impressive streak of 37 consecutive sets won at ATP Masters 1000 events was snapped by Tomáš Macháč before the Italian rallied to claim a 6-1, 6-7(3), 6-3 victory. On the other hand, Fonseca delivered a stellar performance against Matteo Berrettini, cruising to a 6-3, 6-2 win.
How Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner Reacted to João Fonseca’s Supposed Forehand Rankings
During his post-match press conference, Carlos Alcaraz was asked to weigh in on João Fonseca’s supposed ranking of the best forehands on tour, with the reporter claiming the Brazilian ranked the order as Alcaraz, Sinner, himself, Berrettini, and Tsitsipas. Although the seven-time Grand Slam champion praised Fonseca’s choices, he did call attention to the exclusion of Andrey Rublev and Félix Auger-Aliassime.
“That’s tricky, but at the same time it’s a really good list. A pretty good list from João! I don’t know…,” Alcaraz said. “I could put Andrey Rublev somewhere in the list. Right now, I could change Tsitsipas for Felix Auger, for example. I just love Felix Auger’s forehand. And the rest is pretty good. Berrettini is on it, right? He’s fourth? So the list is pretty full. I would say Andrey Rublev and Felix Auger should be around there. But yeah… I could feel myself at first place.”
Sinner had a more cautious take when presented with the same question, raising doubts about the criteria behind the ranking.
“What does it mean the strongest? Efficient on which surface? Surely, a mix between all those names will make a good forehand,” he said.
MORE: João Fonseca Insists on Staying ‘Humble’ After Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner Expose Gap
However, it later came to light that Alcaraz and Sinner had been responding to misrepresented information. Fonseca hadn’t compiled any such ranking but had only responded to a question about the players who had more powerful forehands than Matteo Berrettini.
“Yeah, Berrettini has a huge forehand. When I played him for the first time, it was difficult for me. We were playing indoors and it was Davis Cup, he was hitting his forehand like crazy and it was difficult to play. It was just like super pressure. And I really felt the ball. But I would say, I mean, Carlos has a huge forehand and I think Tsitsipas’ forehand is also pretty solid,” Fonseca said.
Up next, João Fonseca will take on No. 3 seed Alexander Zverev in a blockbuster quarterfinal clash at the Monte-Carlo Masters. Carlos Alcaraz will continue his defense against Alexander Bublik, while Jannik Sinner will battle Félix Auger-Aliassime for a spot in the semifinals.
