Alcaraz surprised as Sinner defies expectations in Monte Carlo

Fans are hoping for another clash between Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner after both men made confident starts to the 2026 Monte Carlo Masters.

While Alcaraz leads their head-to-head on clay, Sinner is no stranger to challenging him. The Italian had to sit out most of last year’s clay swing while serving a suspension, meaning he now has very few points to defend.

Sinner’s absence last year left the door open for Alcaraz, who went on to win the French Open. Many had expected Sinner to skip Monte Carlo again this season, including Alcaraz himself.

Why Alcaraz didn’t expect Sinner to make the trip

Alcaraz addressed his earlier remarks during a press conference, saying he was surprised to see Sinner make the quick turnaround from Miami to Monaco.

Alcaraz gave a straightforward explanation, noting: “I mean, I just think of a lot of things ahead of like… it feels like we are guessing, the players, which tournament they’re going to play sometimes.

“And obviously he was successful in Indian Wells, Miami, a lot of matches, a long swing, and from the last day in Miami until the first day here is like one week, I would say.

“So you come in from a different time difference. Different surface. Different everything. Different balls,” he continued. “So it’s tricky when you don’t have that much time to prepare yourself for another surface.”

The world number one went on: “It’s up to him obviously and it’s the decision of every player to go one tournament or another.

Alcaraz finished by saying: “But you know I was surprised because he has played many matches in the last month playing on hard court and not having that much time to rest and prepare for clay but we can see that he is playing doubles and played great today so that means how great he adapts himself in such a short period of time.”

The Spaniard also admitted recently that holding onto his world number-one ranking is unlikely this season because Sinner has far fewer points to defend across the clay swing than him due to missing so much tennis while banned last year.

Jannik Sinner’s path back to world number one over Carlos Alcaraz

There are a few scenarios where Sinner could reclaim the top ranking from Alcaraz in Monte Carlo, but all of them depend on how the Spaniard performs.

If Sinner wins the tournament, he’ll move back into the number one spot regardless of what else happens. But if he doesn’t make it to at least the semi-finals, then Alcaraz will hold onto his ranking for a bit longer.

If Sinner does reach the semi-finals and Alcaraz falls before the quarter-finals, then that would also put Sinner ahead. And if Sinner makes it to the final while Alcaraz falls short, that would be enough for another switch at the top.

Read more: