How Sinner can take world No. 1 spot from Alcaraz this week as Italian speaks out on battle
Despite the second Grand Slam of 2026 - the French Open - still being over six weeks away, the battle for rankings is well and truly underway, with Carlos Alcaraz currently the highest-ranked men’s singles player on the ATP Tour – but will he still be by the end of next week?
Alcaraz has been world No. 1 since winning the US Open in September last year; however, Sinner’s recent success – with the Italian winning the ‘Sunshine Double’ (Indian Wells and the Miami Open) in March – has put him just 1,190 ATP ranking points behind the Spaniard ahead of the Monte Carlo Masters.
The ATP 1000 event’s qualifying rounds have already begun, with the first round of matches scheduled to take place on Sunday (5 April).
The draw took place on Friday (3 April), with both Sinner and Alcaraz receiving a first-round bye.
Advert
The Italian will face the winner of Moise Kouamé v Ugo Humbert in the second round, while Alcaraz will play Sebastian Báez or Stan Wawrinka.
But how can Sinner leapfrog Alcaraz to become world No. 1?
Well, for starters, he must at least reach the semi-finals of the Monte Carlo tournament. If he fails to do so, Alcaraz will remain world No. 1 regardless of his own result in the principality.
If Sinner wins the tournament, he is guaranteed to become world No. 1.
If the Italian reaches the semi-finals and Alcaraz exits before the quarter-finals, Sinner will also move above the Spaniard in the world rankings.
If the 24-year-old reaches the final and the 22-year-old is beaten in the semi-finals or earlier, the older of the pair will move ahead of the younger man.
Despite the prospect of becoming world No. 1 no doubt being on Sinner’s mind, the Italian has insisted that he remains focused on winning the tournament rather than chasing the No. 1 ranking.
“I know the position, the situation and the scenarios, but it’s not one tournament that will define who’s No. 1 or No. 2,” Sinner told the ATP.
“It’s a tournament that I love to play and I’m happy to be here. I will try to win as many matches as possible, but at the same time, there are even more tournaments coming up.
“When you are a top player, you aim to win trophies. The points are secondary, in a way.”
Sinner’s last Grand Slam triumph came at Wimbledon in 2025 when he defeated Alcaraz in the final.
Topics: Tennis, Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner
Luke Davies