Jannik Sinner has made it to the quarterfinals of the Monte Carlo Masters, along with his rival Carlos Alcaraz. The duel between the two for the No. 1 spot in the world is dominating headlines. First, Alcaraz admitted that he would lose his top spot to the Italian sooner or later in the clay season, as he has thousands of points to defend and he can’t defend them all. Now, Sinner has given the final verdict on it.
“Carlos and I are both aware of the situation, but we play to win titles: the ranking is secondary for now. I’m not chasing the number 1 spot, otherwise I would also be playing next week. I’m playing this tournament because it’s at home and because the match is the best possible training. After this tournament, we’ll understand where we can improve; the most important tournaments will be Paris and Wimbledon,” Sinner said in a press conference after the win.
The logic is clean. Sinner did not come to Monte Carlo to earn ranking points, but because it is a home tournament in a neighbouring country, and competitive clay matches at this level are the best training for what is to come. He has already indicated that he came to Monaco with “good feelings, but not many expectations.” Therefore, he is even skipping next week’s Barcelona Open. This clearly shows that he is not after the No. 1 spot, as Alcaraz is competing and protecting 330 points from the final of the previous year. Sinner made a conscious decision not to compete in the ATP 500 event. The Italian is running his clay season, with the French Open as his destination, not the map.
That context matters. The final of Roland Garros that took place between the two last year lasted five hours and 29 minutes and was one of the greatest finals of all time. Sinner held three championship points, but Alcaraz still rescued them all and triumphed. It was a type of loss that redefined the entire meaning of a season, and Sinner acknowledged that it still hurt. This year, it’s all about one thing on clay: getting back to that final and completing the job.
That said, he has a few complications to overcome before he starts his Roland Garros campaign. In his third-round win over Tomas Machac, the Czech ended his streak of winning consecutive sets, which had spanned 18 master-level matches. During the second set, the 24-year-old had called a medical timeout to manage his dizziness and back discomfort. He managed to recover well and close out the third set 6-3.
“It was a tough match, I was struggling a bit in the second set, I was a bit tired today. I hope I can recover for tomorrow,” Sinner said in the post-match interview.
The fatigue is completely understandable, and that is why he had pulled out from the doubles event after winning one match with his partner Zizou Bergs. Jannik Sinner is coming off a gruelling Sunshine Double schedule, which he managed to win. He has already indicated that he is going to take a small break after Monaco, with his priorities set.
Jannik Sinner eyes Roland Garros
The four-time Grand Slam champion is set to play his quarterfinal against Felix Auger-Aliassime this afternoon. Meanwhile, the world is focused on Sinner dethroning the Spaniard. Jannik Sinner has simplified everything, with Paris as the goal, alongside Home Masters.
He had made his Roland Garros intentions equally clear earlier in the week, following his dominant 64-minute opening win over Ugo Humbert. “I always say the main goal is Roland Garros this year. So we try to build up to this tournament. There’s still a long period of time. Of course, we need to improve,” Sinner said.
The Italian is listed on the Madrid Open draw; his participation there depends a lot on what unfolds in the next few days at Monaco. One of his coaches, Simone Vagnozzi, alongside Darren Cahill, suggested that:
“Madrid is in our calendar for the moment — we’ll see how Jannik arrives. On the physical side I don’t think there are doubts about his fitness. We did a long preparation between Doha and Indian Wells, so the tank is nicely full.”
“It’s more a mental question than physical because these two-week tournaments mean you’re basically on the grind for a month. We have to find the right balance between when you’re confident and want to play, and when it’s right to stop and recover,” he added.
Sinner has never gone past the quarterfinal round in Madrid. Last year, he had missed the tournament while serving the suspension, but missing this time would result in some penalty, as Madrid is a mandatory masters event.
Additionally, the Italian has never reached the finals of Monte Carlo as well. There’s a potential clash between the two giants in the final on Sunday. If he manages to win that battle, he’s likely to skip Madrid and directly head towards Rome.
At the end of the day, this clay season is not about the ranking points or claiming the top spot for Sinner. He will, anyway, close down the gap if he attains his goal of winning Roland Garros, but for that, he will have to overcome the player who has stood in his way at every big moment. The same can be said for Alcaraz. What do you think will come out on top at the end of the clay swing?
