File photo of Carlos Alcaraz at the BNP Paribas Open tennis tournament in Indian Wells, California. (AP)

Carlos Alcaraz revealed at the Monte Carlo Masters press conference on Sunday that the pressure to overtake suspended Jannik Sinner as World No. 1 has negatively impacted his performance this season, with his only title in 2025 coming at Rotterdam two months ago.
The 21-year-old Spanish tennis star currently sits at world number three, trailing Sinner by 3,610 points in the rankings.
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“A lot of people are asking me, or are telling me, that I have the chance to become number one if Jannik is not playing. So probably that pressure has killed me in some way,” Alcaraz said during the press conference.
“I’m not surprised because the people always say that we have to win the tournaments or the top people have to be there all the time playing finals or winning tournaments,” he added.
The Monte Carlo Masters marks the beginning of the clay-court season, a surface where Alcaraz has previously excelled, winning the French Open last year and consecutive Madrid Masters titles in 2022 and 2023.
Sinner, the current world number one, received a three-month doping ban in February after testing positive twice for clostebol traces in March last year. The 23-year-old Italian is expected to return at the Rome Open in May.
“I’m just thinking that I’m not able to become number one… in the clay season, even if Jannik is not playing, I don’t have the chance to do it,” Alcaraz stated. “I think I’m too far from Jannik. So I’m just here and I realise that I don’t have to think about it and just go there and play. That’s my mindset right now.”
The four-time Grand Slam champion has yet to win a match at Monte Carlo, having been eliminated in his 2022 debut and withdrawing from the last two editions.
After receiving a first-round bye, Alcaraz will face either Francisco Cerundolo or Fabio Fognini in his opening match.