Carlos Alcaraz has warned Jannik Sinner that he’s coming for his world number one ranking while claiming the Wimbledon champion “doesn’t care” about ranking points. The Spaniard became tennis’ youngest male number one in 2022 at the age of 19 years, four months, and six days old, after winning the US Open.
He held the spot for 20 weeks before he was usurped by Novak Djokovic following the Serb’s victory at the Australian Open in 2023. The 38-year-old then lost the status to Jannik Sinner who became the first Italian to hold top spot after winning the National Bank Open in 2024. The four-time major champion has since retained the ranking for 59 consecutive weeks, which is the longest amount of time so far this decade aside from Djokovic.
Sinner is a whopping 3,430 points ahead of Alcaraz in the ATP rankings, but the considerable gap hasn’t put off the world number two in his chase to reclaim top spot, which he admitted is his next mission. Despite his Wimbledon final defeat, the 22-year-old has enjoyed an impressive 2025, winning five titles, including his second consecutive French Open.
With Alcaraz, Sinner, and Djokovic all withdrawing from the National Bank Open, which begins later this month, the Italian is set to lose the 200 points from his ranking that he earned in his run to the quarter-finals of the tournament last year. However, Alcaraz claimed Sinner isn’t too fussed about defending his points, which would certainly place the Spaniard in good stead in his plan to leapfrog his rival.
“Yes, I’m ready,” Alcaraz said regarding leading the ATP rankings. “Last year, after the Olympic Games, I struggled and didn’t achieve great results. So from now on, I won’t have many points to defend until the end of the season. I’ll give my all in the upcoming tournaments to win as many points as possible.
“I know Sinner doesn’t care if he has lots of points to defend; he’s a great fighter who always plays to win and doesn’t let that affect him. But I’m ready for the challenge; right now, my main goal is to reclaim the number one spot in the rankings. Now I’m preparing for the American tournaments so that I can arrive at the US Open in top form,” he added.
Despite the intense on-court rivalry between Alcaraz and Sinner, the pair have only shown the utmost respect towards each other as the Spaniard opened up: “Tennis is a unique sport that allows you to be great rivals on court and, at the same time, maintain mutual respect.
“We are good friends; we can talk about many things off court. I have great respect for him; he’s a really nice person; I’m sure we’ll always be able to maintain this good relationship.” They are set to return at the Cincinnati Masters 1000 next month, which is the last event before the US Open commences, where Sinner is the defending champion.
Content Source: www.express.co.uk