Sinner To Challenge Alcaraz’s Grip On World No. 1

Carlos Alcaraz will be defending more than his title at this year’s Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters. The eight-time ATP Masters 1000 champion will also be fighting to retain the World No. 1 mantle, which he reclaimed from Jannik Sinner in the final week of the 2025 season.

And here’s the kicker: The possibility exists for a winner-takes-all championship match. Should Alcaraz and Sinner meet in the final, the winner will claim the title and No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings.

And how’s this for symmetry? Alcaraz will begin his 66th week as World No. 1 Monday, matching the 66 weeks Sinner has spent in top spot throughout his career.

Fending off a threat to his hold on No. 1 would not have been on Alcaraz’s bingo card after a 12-0 start to the season.

The 22-year-old appeared to have a commanding lead over his rival early in the season after becoming the youngest man in history to complete the career Grand Slam at the Australian Open. After also winning the Doha title, Alcaraz led Sinner by more than 3000 points heading into the first ATP Masters 1000 of the year at the BNP Paribas Open.

But after a masterful March, Sinner cut that lead to little more than 1000 points by completing the Sunshine double in Indian Wells and Miami. With Alcaraz defending 1000 points in Monte-Carlo, the players will be virtually neck-and-neck in PIF ATP Live Rankings when they begin their 2026 clay-court campaigns.

Sinner must reach the semi-finals to have a chance of returning to No. 1. But if he reaches the final he will dethrone Alcaraz unless the Spaniard wins the title.

Sinner is 19-2 on the season; Alcaraz is 17-2 on the season. In the past 19 tournaments in which they have both competed, one of them has won the title.

With 297 career match wins, Alcaraz will be looking to reach the 300-wins milestone during the tournament.

Sinner, who has won 34 consecutive sets at Masters 1000 level, has reached the semi-finals in Monte-Carlo the past two times he has played the event, in 2023 and 2024.

It’s been 28 years since a player rose to No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings the week after earning points in the Principality. In 1998, Pete Sampras beat Andre Agassi in the second round to ensure that he would reclaim World No. 1 from Marcelo Rios, who began a four-week reign after winning Miami.